An Immodest Proposal
by bridepride
Summary: Rowena Lynch is a witch. After her house burns down, she is invited to Phantomhive manor, she didn't expect a certain business proposal in which she must hand over her company in exchange for a place to stay, food on the table and a certain man's hand in marriage. She has no idea what the marriage has to do with anything, but she refuses to fall for this demon butler's charms.
1. The History Of Witches And Demons

She thought living on the outskirts of London meant she wouldn't get any trouble. Oh, how wrong she was. The Victorian Londoners barged into her house, knocking the door down. Anyone would think, as she was a witch, she could have avoided this conundrum, but she was always a terrible clairvoyant. Rowena sighed as she got up to meet her fate. She knew she'd find a way out of it one way or another, after all, she used to be known for her use of arcane magic and illusions. People outside the coven always thought that all witches practiced necromancy. That was utterly incorrect. Necromancy was forbidden, as was mind control and one definitely was not allowed to hex anyone. But not one person outside the coven knew that. No information came out of the coven. Not until demons started making contracts.

At the time, Rowena was young. Only 53. This may surprise a mortal, but for a witch, that was like being three. Rowena was young and she hardly had any idea what was going on. Everything was explained to her later on when she grew up. A demon, who went by the name of Alucard Tourmente (his master most likely named him), had formed a contract with a knight, during the Medieval period. The knight wanted to get revenge on a witch that had broken his heart. Once the witch was killed, the knight felt his revenge wasn't complete and so decided to eradicate every single witch, it was difficult to do so, since witches were very well hidden, but once one was found, the rest would eventually be too. As a result, witches had been persecuted ever since then, it also meant the witches held a grudge against the demons. This wasn't to say that any witch betrayed the coven, but it wasn't to say that all witches didn't betray the coven. Witches could be foul and loathsome beings. Her friends had been killed. She made new ones, they'd been killed too and the cycle repeated itself. Her parents were the first, though. People had the misconception that only women were witches, this was also incorrect. The very clever women during the medieval period were thought to be witches, because of men wanting to stay superior to women.

Rowena sighed at the memories, waiting for them to reach her room. She had a plan and she was definitely not going waste her stamina and energy on defensive spells.

The handful of rioters rushed into her room, a scruffy, short man as their leader. They all stopped to stare at her. The scruffy short man stepped foreward, almost as if in a daze. He seemed to snap out of it and turned around to stare at his fellow rioters.

"It's one of her spells!" He barked. "She's trying to hypnotise us!"

Rowena cocked her head to the side.

"I am doing no such thing." Rowena said defensively. "I admit I am a witch, but I assure you that whatever you are experiencing is not of my doing."

The man looked like he was about to faint.

"She's a witch! She has admitted to her wrongdoings! Drown her!" A man in the crowd of people said. What the man said seemed to snap the people out of whatever trance they were in and caused them to shout and jeer. Rowena sighed. Oh, how petty the human race was.

The little man seemed to gather his composure and stared at the witch.

"She is using a spell to make herself look beautiful to deceive us!" He shouted, to which the crowd shouted louder. Rowena had no idea what they were talking about. She had never been near a mortal. Ever. So, it was a strange sensation to hear what they said about her. She did look far more beautiful than the average mortal, she decided, perhaps they hadn't expected that from a witch. However, this didn't mean Rowena thought herself beautiful. It was just that witches looked better than mortals. It was a fact of the universe. Like the earth being flat. "By order of the law, you can not use your powers on the common man." The man said, snapping Rowena out of her thoughts.

She sighed, she knew it was incorrect, there was no law made about witches using their powers, but she didn't say anything. Soon enough, she was bundled up and being carried towards the Thames.

They chanted "drown the witch" as they went across London, holding her over their heads to set an example for whatever little of the witch population was left. Rowena stayed calm. She knew what she was doing. Instead of focusing on her doom, she decided to look around the the faces that were looking upon the procession.

There were many beggars and working class people out and the occasional middle class person, however, what caught her eye was a small boy with dark navy blue hair and an eye patch covering one eye watching. Judging by his clothes, he was from a well bred family. He was standing next to his guardian, perhaps his butler, who towered over him. He had back hair and gleaming ruby eyes. The eyes of a demon, Rowena thought. A snarl escaped her lips when she saw him, as the man continued to look on at her with a disinterested face, not realising she was staring at him.

Suddenly the procession came to a halt and Rowena was lifted even higher for everyone to see. Everyone hushed to see and hear what would happen next.

"By orders of the law, I announce this woman to be a witch. She has confessed of her misdoings and she will be punished as befits someone of her kind. Death." The little scruffy man said.

"Good sir, there's no need for such theatricalities, you may as well have just thrown me in, it matters not what you have just said, you have already proclaimed over this whole city that I am a witch. Also, for a man of your class, these big words are unbecoming of you. " Rowena said indifferently. The man blushed furiously because of the embarrassment, some people dared to snigger as Rowena stared ahead, catching eyes with the demon. She narrowed her eyes as he continued looking at her disinterestedly.

"THROW HER IN THE RIVER!" He screamed.

Before Rowena could react, she was plummeting and milliseconds later, cold, sewage filled water hit her.


	2. His mistress' servants

Rowena sat in her favourite plush chair, drinking her Jasmine tea, brought to her by her maid. She smiled graciously at her when she'd put the cup down on the small table situated next to her.

"Abigail, will you bring Benjamin to me, please?" She asked, as Abigail smiled and nodded.

"Yes, my lady." She said with a small curtesy, then headed out to get one of her other servants. Abigail was a pretty little girl, only 14, but very mature. She had dark, choppy blue hair up to her chest and heart warming chocolate brown eyes.

Rowena smiled. She remembered where and when she'd found Abigail. She was scourging through a bin, most probably looking for food. Rowena had told the little child, who was barely in her teenage years, that she could come and work for her, in return she'd get a place to live, food and have some sort of income. Abigail's dull brown eyes had lit up instantly. She was probably an orphan, Rowena had thought, with no place to go. But, what she realised was, that Abigail was thrown out of her house because she was no longer a virgin, she hadn't been given a chance to tell her parents that she had been raped. When Rowena heard this, her heart went out to the poor girl. All her servants were people she'd found on the streets. Rowena hated the great divide between the rich and the poor and, as much as she wanted to solve it, she knew only time could do that.

A quiet knock on the door of her study was heard.

"Come in." Rowena uttered. The door opened and in walked a tall, handsome boy, only 17 years of age, but with the mind of a genius. He had long tousled red hair up to his shoulders and bright green eyes that twinkled mischievously. He was thin because of years and years of malnutrition, however, this suited him better than a muscular frame; he looked more graceful and less brutal. "Benjamin." Rowena smiled.

"Milady." He said, returning her smile, whilst bowing.

"Have you looked over the papers I told you to?" She asked. Benjamin nodded.

"It seems the Daltwyn company are eager to partner with us." He said, smiling, but then a frown creased his face. "I received a letter a few days ago, demanding that we at least partner with them, or the secret of who you truly are will be publicised. What will be our next step?" He asked.

Rowena sighed.

"We shall negotiate." She said. She wasn't willing to have another event like the one that happened 3 years ago happen again. Suddenly, she found herself thinking about it.

The cold, the wet, the stench had surrounded her as she plunged deeper and deeper into the Thames. She knew that they'd watch until her dead body floated back up, so she used an illusion to fool the mortals into thinking she was dead. It was an exact replica of her. She knew she'd miss her long silver hair and her electrifying violet eyes. But, she'd missed her black hair and green eyes more. It felt comforting knowing she'd be herself again. Her real self, since witches frequently changed their appearance, that was one of the reasons why they were so difficult to track. Rowena decided to go back to how she truly looked. She would only use magic when necessary.

"Milady!" Benjamin shouted.

Rowena looked up at him, startled.

"You were elsewhere again." Benjamin said sheepishly. "Excuse me for shouting at you."

"You did what you had to." She replied. "So, we shall arrange a meeting with the owners of this sham of a company," Rowena soured, "and sort some sort of negotiation."

"Would we not look weak?" He asked.

"It matters not how we look. This secret must be kept." Rowena said firmly.

Benjamin nodded.

"Milady, excuse for being so bold as to ask this question, but how old are you?"

Rowena smiled.

"I do not lie nor keep secrets from my servants. I will tell you. I am roundabout the age of 400, give or take, dear child, " once she said this, Benjamin's eyes widened, to which Rowena simply smirked, "however, one witch year, for lack of better words, is of the equivalence of 14 human years, and so...if I were calculating how old I am as a witch, I would be roundabouts..."

"24." Benjamin finished, as if confirming something he had initially thought of.

"Indeed." Rowena nodded.

"Do witches marry?" He asked.

Rowena raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me." He said, "curiosity normally gets the better of me, especially when there are talks of witches, ghouls, demons and the like"

Rowena smiled.

"It's quite alright to be curious, dear Benjamin, just be more cautious about what you ask and to whom. Witches do marry, but very few do, since we live for a very long time, now that's not to say we're immortal, mind you, but, yes, we do marry." She said.

Benjamin nodded.

"Why would many choose not to marry?" He asked curiously.

Rowena laughed.

"Have a seat, I'm sure you have more questions than just these."

Benjamin ran a hand through his tousled red hair and looked at her sheepishly. He then went to get a plush chair and bring it towards where she was sitting. He placed the chair down in front of her and sat down, eager to listen to what his mistress said.

In this way, the afternoon was spent answering Benjamin's questions.

"Is that so? How interesting...when was the last time you saw a demon, then."

Rowena had just been explaining to him about the conflict between witches and demons.

At his question, her face turned bitter.

"I saw one three years ago, before I was drowned. Now, if I really were to have died then, he would have been the last thing I'd seen, thank the stars it wasn't the case." She said sourly.

Benjamin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not used to his mistress being in such an angry mood. Rowena noticed this and calmed down.

"Could it not have been that Alucard had no say in the matter? That he was forced to, against his will?" He dared to asked.

Rowena stared at him, then sighed.

"It may well have been the case, however..." Rowena sniffed the air "do you smell that?" She asked.

"No..." Benjamin replied, confused.

Rowena abruptly stood up, followed by Benjamin who was far slower.

"We need to get out of here." She said darkly. "This house is burning."

Benjamin's eyes widened.

Rowena looked down at her dress and cursed. There wasn't any way she could run in what she was wearing. Benjamin noticed this too.

"Forgive me." He said simply, picking her up and running out of the room.

He shouted all throughout the house, warning the servants of the fire and telling them to evacuate and, soon enough, they were out of the house, however, two had ended up trapped. Rowena closed her eyes as she heard their screams echo through the crisp autumn air. She stared at the remaining three servants: Abigail, Benjamin and Theodore. Theodore was the oldest servant she had, but also the most childish too. He was 28 and acted like half his age. He was always playing practical jokes on his fellow colleagues and always laughing. But, his was the most tragic of stories. Theodore was from a poor family, they rarely had food to feed themselves and Theodore would get picked on by other children living near him. He didn't have a single friend. Because of the stressful life they had, his parents resorted to arguing with each other. He was an only child and had no one to share his feelings with. Every night, he'd go to sleep cold and with an ache in his chest, however, one night, he had seen something he shouldn't have. his parents lay by the foot of their makeshift bed, butchered by a serial killer. He'd hidden underneath the sheets and ran away before the killer could catch him, after spending months living on the streets, he was kidnapped by a group of "revolutionary" scientists who had tested on him. It was anything but pleasant, simply put, it was torture. He had no idea how long he'd been there, years and years by what he felt, but he managed to escape and ended up living on the streets again. At which point, he was ready to kill himself. Rowena had found him when he was just about to jump into the Thames. She grabbed a hold of him and pulled him away from the edge.

The three servants and Rowena looked at each other, completely and utterly distraught. For the three, it was like hope had been taken from them, they would have to live on the streets again, for Rowena, it was an adventure, she wondered where life would leas her next. Whether it was good or bad, she knew one thing: she would protect her servants no matter what the consequences were.


	3. His Mistress' Anger

"You could have saved them!" Benjamin shouted at Rowena. "Why didn't you use your magic to do so?" He continued as loudly.

"Lower your voice. We don't know who will hear what." Rowena said darkly.

Benjamin blushed.

"I apologise, milady." He said, bowing.

Rowena shrugged.

"I could have saved them, you're correct." She confirmed. "But that was exactly what the arsonist wanted. He wanted me to show what power I had to the people watching. If I did, it would have showed them that I was indeed a witch. Are you saying you didn't see them?" She asked.

"I didn't see anything, my lady." Abigail said slowly.

Rowena raised her eyebrow.

"Nor I." Theodore said, his azure blue eyes glazing over and his messy platinum blonde hair glinting in the autumn sun.

Rowena turned to Benjamin

"Surely you saw them?" She asked.

Benjamin shook his head.

"It may be because you are a witch that you can see more than us." He suggested.

Rowena sighed.

"Whatever the case, we need to think of a plan." She muttered.

They had been on the streets for a few days and it wasn't easy for any of them. They had grown used to the comfort of Lynch Manor. During the day, they'd wander around the city, Theodore's mischief paid off, he'd steal food without getting caught and at night, they'd all huddle together and sleep somewhere where they couldn't be seen. Rowena could have gone to the bank, but without some form of proof of who she was, it was unlikely to impossible they'd allow her to take money out.

A carriage pulled by two horses stopped Rowena's train of thought.

Rowena stared as a tall, slim man in a black suit got out. His lustrous black hair caught the morning light and his fierce red eyes gleamed with a happiness Rowena felt he didn't deserve.

The demon walked towards the small group with a welcoming smile on his face.

Abigail gasped.

"My God...that man is absolutely gorgeous." She whispered. Rowena stared at her, then stared at the demon, who was still smiling and walking towards them. She stepped forward and pushed Abigail behind her. She would not let her fall prey to this demon. A low growl escaped her lips, as the demon stared at her in surprise. He immediately composed himself and the two stared at each other, neither saying anything.

A moment passed...two...

"Allow me to introduce myself." The demon said kindly. "I am Sebastian Michaelis, you have been invited by my master, Ciel Phantomhive, to his manor."

"And why would we want to?" Rowena asked, unable to hide the hostility in her voice.

"Because we'll be as hospitable as ever and you will be treated as an honoured guest." Sebastian said, closing his eyes and grinning widely.

"We'd love to." Benjamin spoke up, before Rowena could say anything. She glared at Benjamin.

"And just who decided that?" Rowena snapped.

"Please, milady, we'd all love to." Abigail said keenly.

"We've been living on the streets for the past few days, surely you can see some sense in accepting hospitality..." Theodore said quietly.

It was only a few days, Rowena thought to herself, but as she turned to look at Theodore, her face softened. She stared at the demon who was still smiling kindly at them and nodded.

"This way, then, my lady." He said bowing, then ushering them along into the carriage.

"I'm not your lady." Rowena muttered underneath her breath, as she was about to get into the carriage.

The demon held out a hand to Rowena to help her in. Because the carriage was slightly high and she was wearing a dress, she had to accept his hand. She grudgingly took it and got in, sitting down furthest away from the door, waiting for her servants to follow.

Abigail followed after Rowena. The demon also offered his hand to her, to which she took eagerly, blushing as she did so, their eyes met and the demon smiled happily at her, as she blushed even more.

Rowena sighed. Damn those demons.

Her servants decided to sit across from her, instead of next to her, so, once the demon came into the carriage, there was only one place left: next to her.

Rowena tensed when he sat down. She kept her gaze lowered, so her discomfort wouldn't show. The carriage started to move and Rowena stayed tense. She heard her servants and the demon conversing, as she growled quietly.

Rowena continued glaring at the floor as the journey progressed. Suddenly, the carriage took a sharp turn and Rowena was hurled towards the demon. Her head ended up being pressed against his shoulder and the rest of her body pressed against his.

"Oof." Rowena muttered. She felt one of the demon's arms wrapped around her as she shuddered from disgust. She pushed herself off him and sat up straight once more.

"Are you alright, my lady?" He asked.

"Fine." Rowena muttered. She heard the demon sigh in frustration, as she looked out the window at the passing buildings of London.

As the twists and turns continued, she found herself on him for most of the time, so the demon just decided to hold her against him. Rowena's skin crawled in disgust, but she saw the sense in it, so stayed there. It was only then that she realised how small she was compared to him. His tall 6"1 frame towered over her mere 5" one. She was sure Abigail was envious of her and, to be honest, she was envious of her too. What she'd do to escape from his arms...

Sebastian stared at the small and feisty woman asleep in his arms and smiled to himself. She was far more adorable asleep, he thought to himself, chuckling.

"Is your mistress always this feisty?" He asked, still chuckling.

Benjamin shook his head.

"It's because you're a demon." He said sympathetically. "She is actually a wonderful woman. She took us all in when we had nowhere to go."

"She saved me from suicide." Theodore piped up.

"She hates the divide between the rich and poor and between men and women, but she knows there's nothing just one person can do." Abigail said, reluctantly. "So, she treats us as equal to her, most of the time."

Sebastian was surprised as to what he heard, he wasn't normally so. Surely witches weren't this compassionate? Especially not to humans...

"She is a witch, is she not?" He asked.

Benjamin nodded again.

"That's why she has a particular loathing for you and your kind." He said sadly. "It may have been because of what she was taught as she grew up." He thought aloud.

"Alucard..." Sebastian trailed off, almost guiltily.

"Alucard." Benjamin confirmed.

"She must know that demons are forced against their will at many times because of the contract made between them and the human." He said.

"I tried telling her.." Benjamin mumbled.

"However, witches are freedom loving creatures, who believe that there is always a choice for one when deciding what to do." He mused. "She will not be happy with what my lord will say to her." He said, strangely happily.

Theodore and Abigail seemed utterly lost.

"Excuse me for asking, Sebastian, but who is Alucard?" Abigail said shyly. Sebastian smiled at her genially, to which she turned the colour of Benjamin's hair. He then proceeded to tell the two, that weren't informed, about the conflict between witches and demons.

"...and so, the witches blame the demons for what is continually happening to them." He said, closing his eyes and smiling happily. "The witch race holds grudges for a long time..." He mused. "The strange thing is, they do not believe in revenge, so they will continue to hold grudges until their anger dies."

At that moment, the carriage stopped moving.

Sebastian looked out the window, then turned to the servants.

"It seems we are here." He said genially. He picked up Rowena, who was still asleep and opened the door of the carriage with one hand. He jumped out and landed on the balls of his feet, being careful not to jolt the sleeping beauty too much in case she awoke. He bowed as low as he could with Rowena in his arms, as the servants stepped out. "Welcome to Phantomhive Manor." He said warmly.

Benjamin was the last to leave the carriage. Once he was out, he stared at Rowena in Sebastian's arms, for a moment, he felt happy, like the scene in front of him was made to happen, but then he remembered how much Rowena loathed demons.

"Would you like me to carry her for you?" He asked Sebastian. Sebastian straightened himself up and smiled at Benjamin.

"It's no trouble." He said simply, turning around and escorting them into the manor.

It's no trouble for him, but Rowena would not be in the least happy, he thought to himself, as he followed Sebastian and the servants inside the manor.


	4. His Mistress' Hate

Rowena opened her eyes to find herself lying on a large four poster bed. The bed sheets and pillow covers were made of the finest green Chinese silk and the curtains drooping from the frame of the bed were made of the finest black velvet. Green and silver silk threads were used to make patterns in the curtains, which Rowena couldn't help admiring. There were intricate little patterns carved in the mahogany wood of the frame of the bed, which also piqued Rowena's interest. All in all, this bed was by far the most beautiful she'd ever seen. Rowena nuzzled her face in the pillow and moved around in the bed, enjoying the feeling of silk on her body. She sighed contentedly. She closed her eyes and just let herself be for a few blissful seconds.

"Kimochiiiii." She moaned. She probably sounded extremely perverted, but she didn't care. She loved silk.

"Arigato gozaimasu." A deep, smooth voice said, by her bedside.

Rowena turned her head to be met face to waist with the demon.

She stared up at him with loathing in her eyes, as he closed his eyes and smiled kindly down at her.

"I picked the furniture myself for this room." He informed her. "Everything is of the highest standard."

Rowena sat up in bed. It was only then that she realised where she was and what she was wearing.

"Who brought me here?" She asked, looking straight ahead at the pale green coloured wall, instead of at the loathsome demon next to her.

"Me." He said simply.

Rowena bit her lip to hold back an insult.

"And...and didn't any of my servants ask to take me off you?" She asked.

"Yes, in fact, Benjamin asked, but I told him it wasn't a problem." He said graciously.

"Who changed my clothes?" She asked darkly, already expecting the answer.

"I did...but I assure you, I made sure to-" The demon started.

"Get out." Rowena growled.

There was silence.

"I repeat. Get out." She growled again.

The demon frowned.

"As you wish." He said monotonously, closing his eyes and putting his right hand on his heart, then bowing slightly. He turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Rowena sighed and looked around her. Everything was colour coordinated. From the green sofas with the mahogany wood frame to the green, black and clear crystal chandelier that hung on the wall. The carpet was black with forest green and silver dragon patterns weaved into it. The dresser and desk were also black, with the handles for the drawers painted in silver. The mirror was outlined in green and silver and the lamp on the bedside desk was silver with green crystals embedded in the stem of the lamp. If it wasn't black, then it was green, if it wasn't green, then it was silver.

Rowena immediately fell in love with the room and she hated the demon even more for that.

She stared down at the thin night gown she was wearing. It barely reached her mid thighs! She growled. That perverted demon.

A knock on the door was heard. Rowena pulled the sheets up to hide her almost naked body, before telling the person to come in.

Benjamin poked his head through the door nervously.

"Benjamin." Rowena uttered, slightly agitatedly.

Benjamin slowly entered the room, gingerly walking towards her bedside.

"The Earl wants to see you..." He said quietly.

Rowena cocked an eyebrow.

"In this attire?" She asked.

Benjamin blushed.

"I...I'll..deliver the message." He stuttered, turning around and swiftly exiting the room, making a louder click than the demon did.

Rowena frowned deeply, utterly sour from the visit by the demon.

"Damn those demons." She growled.

She lay back down and decided to enjoy the feeling of silk once more. However, it wasn't long until another knock was heard.

"Come in." She said lazily. She heard the door open and close, but the person didn't stand by her bedside.

"I was told to pick out a dress for you and to help you get ready." The voice she loathed said.

She heard soft, padded footsteps go from one end of the room to the other and the next thing she knew, she was being lifted up and being sat down on the edge of the bed.

She glared at the demon who had a blindfold wrapped around his eyes.

"Why are you wearing a blindfold?" She asked impatiently.

"So I do not see anything you don't want me to, of course." He said politely.

Rowena bit her lip. That wasn't what she was expecting.

"Now, please, if you would kindly stand up. We must make you look as presentable as possible." He said in the same tone.

**Time skip**

Rowena held onto a post of the bed.

"Stop." She groaned. "Demon. It's too tight. Stop." She gasped, then groaned again. "Damn it..." She whispered. She groaned time and time again. "You're only making it tighter." She said, her voice strained. "Fix it." She growled.

"You should be used to it." The demon said monotonously.

Rowena groaned again.

"Why..." She muttered.

"Because you must look your absolute best." He said simply, making the corset even tighter, causing Rowena to gasp.

"Men don't have to go through this..." She muttered.

"Indeed. Now, please, suck in your breath."

Rowena did as she was told, as the corset became scarily tight.

"No..." Rowena whispered weakly. "I can hardly breath..."

To her surprise, the demon loosened the corset just enough to let her breathe. Rowena sighed in relief.

"Thank you..." She muttered. She didn't see it, as she was facing away from him, but the demon smiled sadly, as if he didn't deserve her gratitude.

"It was the least I could do." He said amiably.

"Stop it..." Rowena muttered.

"Stop what?" He asked her.

"Stop acting like you're perfect!" She screamed, whirling around to look at him. "You're a demon. A damned demon. You are anything but perfect." She poked his chest harshly to punctuate the words.

The demon frowned. He was still wearing the blindfold and it infuriated Rowena even more.

"You act like you're kind and helpful and generous and...and...caring, but you're not! You're a demon." She rambled furiously. "I hate you. I hate you and all your kind. Never forget." She growled.

The demon's frown deepened.

"If that is what you truly feel..." He muttered."Do you need more help dressing?" He asked.

"No, I can handle putting on the dress from here. You can leave." She said curtly.

She heard the demon sigh tiredly, then walk out of the door, it clicking behind him as softly as before.

Rowena dressed herself and looked in the full body mirror, once she was done. She groaned. He even took the liberty in doing her hair. He'd let her layered waist length hair flow freely, but had somehow braided random locks of her hair without her knowing.

"Dammit, demon..." She muttered, touching a braid.

She stared at the dress he had picked out for her. Blood red material formed the base of the top part of the dress, black lace was put over the material and a black satin ribbon formed a crisscross pattern in the middle. Black satin ribbons connected the dress from the chest area (where the dress started) to the neck. It formed several crisscross patterns and connected to a satin red ribbon which wrapped itself around the neck as a sort of choker necklace. The bottom part of the dress was layered to perfection and stopped just above her feet.

She grabbed the jewellery on the dresser that was left out by the dear demon and put it on.

Once she was ready, she realised she had no idea where what was in this house. And, judging by this room, this house was most likely larger than hers. Rowena groaned.

"Time for an adventure..." She muttered, walking towards the door and stepping out.

Rowena stepped into the corridor of the manor and walked in a random direction, going with her gut instinct. She ended taking so many twists and turns her head hurt. She cursed under her breath. Why was this place so deserted? Where were the other servants?

Suddenly, she heard three voices bickering amongst one another to her right. She found an open door and saw three people inside the room, she walked towards the trio and, just as she reached the door, she was flung off her feet and hurtling into the floor.

"Are you hurt, my lady?" The demon asked, hovering above her, concern filling his eyes. He got off her as she tried to sit up. Rowena groaned, while the demon put a hand on her back to support her.

"What happened?" She asked quietly, her head spinning.

"There was an explosion in the kitchen." The demon said, not amused in the least, still smiling nonetheless. Rowena got the feeling that someone was going to end up dead today.


	5. His Mistress Negotiating

The demon helped Rowena up, as three people ran towards them. Rowena held a hand to her head, groaning; her head was spinning and throbbing painfully. Damn that demon for pouncing on her. She knew she was being unfair, but she was annoyed and in pain and the throbbing wasn't helping and her corset was still too tight and-

"Oh my! Miss, you are okay, yes?" A woman croaked.

"I would like to see you all in the kitchen, after I escort our honoured guest." The demon said overly sweetly to the three people, however, he continued staring at Rowena and she had no idea why. All she knew was he was not happy and he looked scary when he wasn't. The three servants looked scared too.

"We're so sorry, Sebastian!" The three shouted together.

"Please make your way into the kitchen. I will meet you there shortly." The demon said to the servants in the same tone. The trio dashed into the kitchen, most likely out of fear.

He closed his eyes and smiled at Rowena, but the smile was more strained than genuine. Rowena sighed.

"Right this way, my lady." He said, still as polite as ever, ushering her in the opposite direction she was going. Rowena nodded and went where he led, but she didn't say anything. Her head spun and she felt sick. Rowena groaned, as a wave of nausea hit her. She placed a hand on a wall to steady herself.

"Are you alright, my lady?" The demon asked with concern.

"I'm fine." She muttered. "I feel slightly nauseous, but time will fix that." She said, already starting to feel the throbbing lessen.

The demon nodded, neither spoke for a while.

"My lady," The demon started, gently grabbing a hold of one of her arms to stop her from walking any further.

"What?" She asked, turning around to stare at him, yet annoyed that he touched her.

"Allow me to fix your hair." He said, smiling innocently, letting go of her arm. Rowena raised her eyebrow.

"Do what you want." She mumbled, feeling another wave of nausea. She saw the demon take off his gloves with his teeth, as she wondered why he didn't just take it off with his hands. She felt his long slender fingers slide into her hair, as the demon gently straightened out her hair, careful not to ruin the braids.

"Was the hairstyle to your liking?" He asked, trying to break the silence.

"It was fine." She replied ungraciously, not in the mood to talk. The demon understood and quickly straightened out her hair. Soon, they reached the study and the demon rapped on the door twice, as a boy's voice from inside the room told them to come in. The demon twisted the door knob, pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Excuse me, my lord, allow me to introduce Miss Rowena Lynch." He said, holding the door open for her and bowing.

Rowena entered the room and stared at the little boy with the eye patch covering one eye, sitting behind a desk. He had his elbow resting on the desk and his head resting on his hand. He looked at her disinterestedly, as Rowena sat down opposite him.

"What is it you want to discuss?" Rowena asked, not bothering with pleasantries, she heard the door close softly behind her, but the demon didn't make himself visible. He must have left to tell of the servants, Rowena thought.

"Your company." Ciel said coolly.

Rowena raised an eyebrow.

"Your house burnt down, you have no money, you can't use magic in case people find out you're a witch, you can hardly provide for your servants and you have no relatives or acquaintances you can go to help you. Give me your company and I will let you stay here." Ciel said, almost as if he were bored. "You will be treated like a guest." He added.

"Why do you take interest in my company when you own one  
yourself, which is even more successful than mine, at that matter?" She asked curiously.

"I want it to expand mine." He replied.

"You may posses it." She said, shrugging nonchalantly. Ciel stared at her, to which Rowena smirked. "You expect me to fight for my company, no?" She asked.

"I thought you would." He confirmed.

Rowena shrugged again.

"I'm just a witch. What do I desire in a company of my own? I merely obtained it because of the income. However, if I do surrender my company to you, there are a few conditions that must be met." She stated.

"Do what you want." Ciel said, dismissively.

Rowena shook her head.

"Hear them first before you decide." She said adamantly.

"Chh. What are they?" Ciel asked in annoyance.

"I want to be able to do as I please, I want absolute and utter freedom, my servants must be allowed to stay her as well, and if they do, they will remain loyal to me and only me, unless they wish otherwise and," Rowena heard the door open and click close behind her, the demon most likely came back from having a talk with the servants, Rowena thought, smirking inwardly, "I want nothing to do with the demon. He will stay away from me and will have nothing to do with me, as for my servants, they can choose if they would like to be associated with him." She said insensitively, her eyes turning cold.

Sebastian stood behind her, a frown creasing his face. He understood why she hated his race so much, but he couldn't deny the unfairness in her actions. She was feisty up to a fault, but he couldn't help wanting to prove her wrong. He didn't expect her to grow a liking to him, but he just wanted her to see that demons weren't as abominable or as putrid as she thought they were. Of course, there were many, but he just wanted her to see he was different. Realisation dawned on him. It wasn't that he wanted to prove her wrong about demons, but more that she was wrong about him. He didn't understand why he worried so much about her opinion, but he knew he had to find a way to change it. He could only hope Ciel would not order him to stay away from her.

Ciel stared at the frown on his butler's face. He didn't expect what this woman said to bother him so much, but he couldn't comply with her final request anyway, for reasons of his own. He knew about the animosity between demons and witches, yet what Ciel didn't understand was why his butler didn't dismiss this woman just like he did to all the others, this woman despised him, for heavens' sake! His butler was a strange man, he hardly let his feelings known and, to see that this woman brought forth an emotion from him was surprising to Ciel.

The conflict between the two species was causing unrest in England, it made the country look weak because of the raging rivalry between the two. Of course, the innocent mortals didn't know this, if one proclaimed a person possessed, they would follow blindly just for the sake of entertainment. The Queen had requested that he try to minimalise the unrest as much as he could. Ciel thought this as an impossible task, it wasn't possible to stop demons and witches, unless all were eradicated and that was impossible. Nonetheless, as the Queen's guard dog, he wasn't able to turn her down. He finally understood what had to be done to stop the conflict. The two creatures had to be united.

Ciel smiled slightly, as a plan formed in his mind.

"I said only you could stay, I didn't mention anything about your servants." Ciel said uncaringly, knowing she would stay loyal to her servants and search for a compromise.

Rowena scowled.

"What will it take?" She asked, knowing from making business deals that Ciel wanted something more. "My company is all I have. If you intend on being a witch, halt now, as you can only become a witch by b-"

"I don't care about being a witch." He said agitatedly. "You will have to marry." He said without hesitation.

"What does my marriage have for you to gain? Even if there was one, I have no one I can marry." She stated.

"I haven't said who you'll marry." Ciel replied curtly.

"Then do so." Rowena said in annoyance.

"A demon."

"A demon?!" She shouted, standing up. "I refuse to marry filth." She said furiously.

"I'll remind you, your servants have been on the streets before, but I'm sure they'll understand why they have to return if you tell them you'd have had to marry a demon. But how long will it be until someone finds out what you are?" He asked, Ciel knew he was being cruel and he didn't want to, but it was the only way, from what his butler told him, this woman wouldn't listen to reason unless it had something to benefit her, or so he thought. It was what he had interpreted from what Sebastian had told him.

Silence followed what he said, Ciel wondered what the woman was thinking. Several minutes passed and he thought that this woman would never say anything, but then she did something surprising. she leaned over the table and grabbed his chin with her thumb and index finger, forcing him to look at her properly. Ciel guessed she was performing a spell to stop him from speaking or moving and his butler was under the same spell, as he was unable to bring himself to say or do anything. The woman studied his face intently, causing Ciel to turn a light shade of red. She continued searching his face for something and, just as Ciel had accustomed himself to her stares, Rowena parted her lips and sighed.

"A few more conditions. then." She said quietly. "I will not be his personal slave; I will do as I please whether it pleases him or not. You will not expect us to act like a couple. These are my conditions. Nod if you comply."

Ciel felt a weight, he didn't know was there, lift off his head, however he couldn't bring himself to speak. Ciel knew Sebastian would have instantly killed her if he knew his master was harmed, to see someone stop his butler was absurd to him. Also, even when the stakes were against her, she still found ways of turning them to her favour, as much as she could. He found himself nodding without thinking.

"You have a contract." She breathed against his face, causing Ciel to blush even more. Rowena smirked and let go of his face. She sat back down and waited for whatever to happen next.

Sebastian frowned, he didn't expect her to cast a spell on the both of them, without his knowing at that... He didn't understand what his master was thinking, what was the object of this alliance?

Ciel turned to look at his butler, wondering what he was thinking. To his dismay, he saw exactly that: Sebastian was thinking fixedly, his eyebrows were knitted together and he as unintentionally glaring at the floor. He had never seen his butler look like this. Ciel turned to look at the woman, she was glaring at the man she was to marry, she felt his gaze fixed at her, so she turned to stare at him, whether she found what she was searching for or not, her eyes gave away nothing.

Rowena cursed under her breath. She truly wished she had tried to master mind reading at that moment, she cursed her morals for stopping her doing so.


	6. His Mistress' weakness

Rowena stood on the window sill, trying to open the large arched window. She pushed and tugged, but to no avail.

When she had grabbed Ciel's face, she was trying to read his mind, but all she understood was that it wasn't to spite her or his butler and that was good enough for her. Ciel had his reasons and she had to respect that. Hopefully she could find out, sooner or later, what they were. She sighed in frustration. Oh, the things she did for her servants.

The negotiations had been summed up after Ciel nodded, so all that was left was pointless banter over dinner, which didn't continue for very long, because neither were in the mood to talk. Ciel had told her that they would talk more about the wedding preparations tomorrow, to which Rowena agreed, she felt too stuffy in the corset and still felt quite nauseous.

Sebastian stared at the woman who was to be his bride. She was trying to open the window in her room, but she didn't seem to be succeeding in doing so. The scene made him chuckle to himself. He found it adorable how she could pretend to be so strong, yet physically she was lacking greatly. After watching her try to open the window for a while, he decided he should go and help. Sebastian took a step foreward, but then stopped in his tracks.

After trying to open the window for the umpteenth time, Rowena huffed.

"Silly window." She muttered, staring at it arrogantly. "I will open you!" She shouted, proceeding in giving it one last shove and grunting as pain shot up her arm. She wondered if this was a necessary time to use magic...she shrugged, then clicked her fingers, instantly, the window opened outwards and cold air hit her.

She closed her eyes and sighed contently as the cool night breeze caressed her body. She had changed into the short dressing gown, as there were none other, and bloomers that were also small for her. She sighed. Honestly, she hoped that demon at least gained some sort of amusement from her predicament. But, then again, she didn't. She just wanted to place a knife against his wonderful eyes and pierce them repeatedly. Rowena opened her eyes. When had she become so hate consumed? The demon had only been nice to her, it was unfair on him that she be so cruel to him...

Rowena shook her head. What was she saying? It was the cause of him and his kind that all her loved ones were dead. That she had been alone all these years. That she had no reason to live. Rowena stared out of the window at the garden outside. She sighed in frustration.

What had she gotten herself into, she thought. Witches only had temporary marriages. Most only managed to last for around 90 years and the rest even less than that. Only a few managed to stay faithful for life and she knew that she definitely wasn't one of those types of people. Perhaps it was just that she hadn't found her soulmate yet...

"My lady, if you stay like this, you will catch a cold." She heard a voice beside her say. She sighed.

"Demon. I do not mean to offend, but I do not care, nor will I ever care, about what you have to say." She said bluntly.

Sebastian sighed.

"I was ordered to treat you as an honoured guest by my young master, if you catch a cold, I would fail my master's orders, so forgive me, but.." At that moment, Sebastian picked Rowena up and jumped off the windowsill, landing on the balls of his feet. Rowena wriggled and writhed in his arms, trying to break free, but he kept a firm hold on her.

Sebastian gently placed her on the bed, and smiled down at her.

"You are soon to be my wife, you must get used this." Sebastian said, closing his eyes and smiling sweetly at her.

Rowena got up immediately.

"I will do as I please." She said hotly.

Sebastian frowned and placed a hand on her arm.

"Please, my lady, do not make me use force." He said monotonously.

She glared at the demon and ripped her arm out of his hand.

"Try to." She growled, getting off the bed, then standing beside him and facing the opposite direction she waited for him to do something and when he didn't move, she smirked. She lifted her foot to walk towards the windowsill, when, suddenly, the demon grabbed her arm firmly and lifted her off the ground. He then threw her onto the bed. Rowena groaned as she hit the bed, but before she could get up the demon pounced on her and pinned her arms down on the bed. He straddled her waist and slightly pressing his upper body on hers, causing his face to be dangerously close to hers.

Rowena panted, she had always hated physical exercise. She felt the demon's breath hit her face as she shuddered in disgust.

"Get off me." She growled.

"If you will remain in bed." He breathed, somehow still as courteous as ever. "I will leave the window open, because I know the room can become stifling, but please, for your own sake, do not stand on the windowsill for so long."

Rowena stared at him with loathing. They were so close and she hated every moment of it.

"Very well..." She muttered. "I'll remain here. Now, do get off me."

The demon parted his lips and smirked.

"The things you'd do to get away from me." He chuckled. He brushed her hair aside from her neck and caressed it gently. Rowena shuddered.

"I've listened to your request, now listen to mine. Get off me." She said monotonously. The demon smiled sweetly at her and caressed her neck once more, before getting off her and the bed and walking towards the door.

Rowena stared at him leaving and sighed in relief once she heard a soft click. Her neck was very weak to any sorts of touches...

Rowena clicked her fingers again and the lights turned off. She smiled to herself. Oh, the wonderful uses of magic.

For a while, Rowena shifted and turned in her bed, unable to sleep, an uneasy, anxious feeling lingered in her stomach, like something terrible would happen. Witches had always been told to listen to this feeling and so, Rowena remained awake for a long time fretting and worrying as to what could possibly happen, until she fell asleep unintentionally.

Sebastian stood by the door, gazing at the woman sleeping peacefully. He moved closer to her and, once he was by her bedside, he realised she was shivering and had goosebumps on her skin. Sebastian chuckled at her stubbornness. He, then went to close the window. He wondered if she would catch a cold...

Day arrived and Rowena slept for longer than she intended to. When she finally peeled her eyes open, she still felt tired and, to her dismay, she felt absolutely horrendous.

"It seems you are sick, my lady." She heard a deep, smooth voice by her bedside.

"Indeed I am..." She muttered, not in the mood for talking, or doing anything. Nonetheless, Rowena sat up and removed the sheets from her body, going to get dressed.

"Should you not remain in bed?" The demon questioned, following her to wherever she was going. Rowena walked towards her wardrobe and opened it, wondering what she could wear.

"I must meet with the Earl." She said simply. "For our...wedding preparations." She said in distaste, still not looking at him. She browsed through the many dresses that were in there and sighed, they were all absolutely stunning.

"I'm sure the Earl will-"

"No. They will be decided today." Rowena said firmly. The demon sighed.

"You truly make my job difficult." He said mock tiredly.

Rowena stopped searching for a dress.

"Excuse me, your excellence." She said sarcastically, returning to find a suitable dress to wear.

The demon reached a hand into the wardrobe and immediately took a dress and corset out, holding the dress up to show her. Rowena stared at it, it was indeed very beautiful, like all the dresses, but was simple, which made it perfect to ear for the day.

She looked at him coolly.

"It will do." She said dismissively.

"Would you like help with your corset?" The demon asked politely.

Rowena raised an eyebrow.

"Could you not send the female servant to tend to me?"

"I was ordered to tend to you myself." He replied, as politely.

"Why do you not do anything for yourself? Why must you always follow orders?" She asked in frustration.

"My young master has made a contract with me. I strive to be the perfect butler and in doing so, I must do as he asks." He replied. "Now, do you need help with your corset?"

Rowena nodded, muttering obscenities under her breath.

The demon placed a blindfold over his eyes. Rowena watched him do so and, once she was sure he could not see much, she proceeded in taking off her dressing gown. She turned around to let the demon put on and tie up the corset for her.

"Not too tight this time.." She muttered.

"Of course, my lady." The demon replied.

After the corset had been put on. she told the demon he could leave, which he did.

From there, she put on the dress herself. She wore a simple dark green dress, over a black petticoat, that had a few ruffles and gathered together at her waist on the left side, showing the petticoat underneath. She then took out a simple black dress coat from the wardrobe. Rowena went to stand in front of the full body mirror, staring at her straight hair in it. Women were expected to have curly hair and, if they didn't, curling irons had to be used, but she hated using those. Rowena shrugged, she preferred straight hair anyway.

A rap on the door was heard.

"Come in." Rowena uttered.

The door opened slowly and Benjamin waked in with a deep frown on his face.

"Good morning Benjamin." Rowena spoke pleasantly.

"Good morning, my lady..." Benjamin said distractedly.

Rowena turned to look at her servant properly.

"Is something the matter?" She asked.

"You are to marry Sebastian..." He trailed off. "I..I thought you loathed demons..."

Rowena sighed.

"My dear Benjamin, I assure you it wasn't my intention to marry the demon, one way or another, I was forced to. I will talk to you later, I must meet with the Earl now."

Benjamin nodded, still distracted.

Rowena ushered him out of the room, going out herself.

"Benjamin?" She asked.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Do you know the way to the Earl's study?" She asked. Benjamin nodded and showed her the way. Within minutes, they were standing outside the Earl's study.

"Thank you, Benjamin." She said. as Benjamin nodded and left to go here the rest of the servants were.

Rowena rapped on the door three times, as someone opened the door immediately.

The demon looked at Rowena in surprise, but immediately composed himself.

"You haven't had breakfast." He said in concern.

"I'll survive." She said brusquely.

"But, you are sick."

"I will survive." She repeated. "Now, do stop obscuring the door so I may walk in."

The demon sighed, but did so.

Rowena walked in and found the Earl staring at the two in quiet amusement, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Good morning." Rowena said, sitting down, as the demon closed the door then went to go and stand by his master..

"Good morning." Ciel replied.

"When shall the wedding be?" She asked.

"You truly don't bother with pointless conversation. It's amusing." Ciel said, yet not smiling widely.

"As you say, it's pointless." She replied, shrugging her shoulders, looking curiously at the boy.

"The wedding will be in a week, if that is alright?"

Rowena nodded.

"It is completely fine." She said coolly. "Demon. Do you mind this?"

Sebastian smiled and bowed.

"Whatever my master thinks is right." He replied.

Rowena glared at him. She hoped to find his opinion, but it just seemed he had none. She hated that. Everyone had an opinion and she wanted him to express his. The demon just closed his eyes and parted his lips, smiling sweetly.

Ciel stared at the woman glaring at his butler, then at the butler who was simply smiling. He knew his butler would find a way to make the alliance work, but he wondered how long it would take. He knew that Rowena would not act in any way she didn't want to. It'd be pointless to ask her so. He wished he had some sort of leverage over her.

"Who are you?" Rowena asked rhetorically, still frustrated.

"I'm just one hell of a butler." He replied, smirking.

Rowena sensed that he just loved to agitate her. She grumbled profanities under her breath and kept glaring at the demon.

She turned to look at the Earl and stared at him blankly. For a moment, Ciel thought she would seize his face again, but she didn't.

"I will get my servants to help with the preparations." She told him. "I have one request..."

"What is it?" He asked.

"I would like my servants to tend to me."

"It can not be done. I'm sorry." He replied instantly.

"Why not?" She asked.

"My master has reasons of his own, please respect them." The demon spoke up.

"Quieten your lips, demon." Rowena said agitatedly.

Ciel smiled slightly. This woman was certainly challenging. She seemed to not care about who the demon was, or what he looked like, in her eyes, he was just a demon. Something she loathed.

They continued discussing wedding plans, until Rowena's sickness got the better of her. It was still early in the afternoon, but she felt like sleeping. Rowena sat on her bed, as her head started spinning. She groaned in discomfort, placing a hand on her forehead.

"Your head is spinning because you have not eaten, my lady." She heard the demon's voice say from in front of her.

"I don't need to eat." She knew what he said was correct, but she didn't want to admit it.

The demon sighed in mock agitation.

"My, my, how stubborn you are. Must I feed you myself?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

Rowena glared up at him.

"I do not wish to eat. There is nothing wrong in that." She said in annoyance.

"There is if you are sick." The demon replied instantly.

"My demon. My most irksome, most foul, most loathsome demon, I. Do. Not. Wish. To. Eat." She said sickly sweetly.

The demon brought his face close to hers, brushing her hair away from her neck. He caressed it gently, as Rowena tensed. The demon stared into her eyes, still caressing her neck, as Rowena looked anywhere but at him. The demon chucked at her discomfort.

"Do you wish to eat?" He breathed against her face.

"If that is what it takes to get you away from me." Rowena replied flatly.

The demon chuckled again, still caressing her neck.

"I will bring it shortly." He replied courteously, yet continuing to caress her neck. Rowena sighed. She realised she had given him leverage over her and she was sure he would use it against her time and time again.


	7. His Mistress In Annoyance

"No! Get away from me, I have already told you!" Rowena shouted, moving her face away, as the demon tried to feed her. "I am not a little child, do not humiliate me so!" He brought the fork filled with food near her mouth as she moved her face about, not wanting to be fed by him. "For goodness' sake, demon, get away from me! I am capable of fee-" She got cut off by food being thrust into her mouth. She glared at the demon, but swallowed the food down.

The demon smiled down at her happily. He sat down on the bed and picked her up then sat her down in his lap. He wrapped an arm around her waist and, with his free hand, he grabbed another morsel of food with the fork and brought it near her mouth.

"Now, my lady, do not be so cold, I only wish to feed my future wife." The demon said sweetly. Rowena glared at the forkful of food and grudgingly opened her mouth.

"If it went my way, I would not be marrying you." She grumbled, swallowing the food down.

"Please don't be so cruel." The demon sighed teasingly.

"Damn you, demon." Rowena muttered, as another forkful was brought near her mouth. She decided she would just let him feed her; she wasn't in the mood to argue, or fight.

"That's not a very lady-like thing to say, my lady." He said, emphasising "my lady".

"I'm more a witch than a lady, demon." She replied, still being fed food. "You truly love to mock me.." She muttered miserably.

"Don't be absurd! I adore you more than I adore cats." The demon chuckled.

"For goodness' sake..." Rowena muttered gloomily, it was only then that Rowena truly tasted the food. As the demon brought the fork to her lips once more, she grabbed his wrist to stop him. "Something is off about this food..." She mumbled.

The demon frowned.

"I left the preparations to one of the servants. I should have at least overlooked it. My apologies, my lady." He said, setting the fork down on the plate, resting on the tray he had brought.

Rowena placed a hand on her stomach.

"Oh heavens, no..." She muttered darkly. The demon gave her a deep brass bowl, which Rowena grabbed a hold of and retched into. He held her hair back as she continued retching for a few minutes. "I need you to bring me lavender, horehound, calendula, red sandalwood, jasmine flowers and pine needles." She muttered weakly, once she had finished.

"May I enquire why?" He asked, putting the bowl aside. Rowena produced a small tear drop shaped phial hidden in her dress. Silver was made to pattern the top of the phial and a tear drop shaped bung, which was also made out of silver, stopped the liquid inside the phial from escaping. A small amount of gold liquid was in the bottle.

"I must make more of this healing potion." She said simply. "I will not force anyone else to use potions and such that witches use. It may not end well, but I must make more for myself. If you could pour the remnants of this phial into a cup of Jasmine tea, I'd be most grateful." She said, as she handed him the phial.

"Does the choice of tea change the outcome? If so, perhaps I could b-"

"Jasmine tea is just my favourite tea. There is no hidden meaning." She cut him off.

The demon nodded and went to make the tea, taking the bowl in which she had retched with him.

Rowena sighed and fell back on the bed. She now realised why she had received the feeling of uneasiness last night: she was to be unwell the next day. Rowena groaned as a wave of nausea hit her. She moved up, so her whole body was on the bed and curled into as tight a ball as she could manage. She groaned as waves and waves of nausea hit her. Do not retch, do not retch, do not retch, she kept repeating to herself.

"It seems the whole hou-" Sebastian stopped as he saw Rowena curled up in pain. "Goodness me, it seems you truly need this tea." He sighed.

Rowena struggled to sit up, but managed to do so after a short while.

"If you could kindly bring the cup to me..." She said weakly.

"My, my, speaking and looking so frail genuinely does not flatter you in the least." The demon chuckled, holding a small saucer with the cup sitting on top of it in front of her. Rowena reached out a shaky hand towards it, but the demon grabbed her hand and entwined their fingers together. She looked up at him tiredly, unable to glare.

"You will spill the tea if you try to take the cup." The demon said simply. He placed the saucer on the bedside table then proceeded to grab the handle of the cup. He brought it to her lips as Rowena parted them slightly, taking a small sip and drinking up the hot liquid. She stared at the tea, then up at the butler who was staring at her expectantly.

"Was the tea to your liking?" He asked.

"Y...yes, it's fine." She muttered, drinking more. She had had many cups of Jasmine teas, made by many people, but there was something to this one that made it taste irritatingly better than any she had. But, she would never tell him that.

She drank up the remaining liquid and she immediately felt better. The nausea had left, the throbbing in her head had ceased and she no longer felt fatigued.

Rowena stood up.

"If you would kindly show me the way to the kitchen." She said, not looking at the butler.

"My lady, you have only just gotten better, perhaps-"

"Show me to the kitchen." She repeated.

The demon sighed. He could fight death gods, kill an angel, tame a demon dog, stop a train from moving at the same time as finding his kidnapped master and stop a bomb from detonating, but he could not reason with this one small feisty woman. Oh, why must she be so difficult, he thought to himself.

"If you would follow me." He sighed defeatedly.

The two walked out of her room, the demon leading the way.

After few minutes and many twists and turns, they reached the kitchen. Rowena realised the servants were not here.

"Where are the servants?" She asked.

"They are in bed." He replied. "It seems everyone is sick because of the food." He added bitterly.

Rowena shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't...uhm...do not blame yourself, it was not your fault in the least." She muttered awkwardly.

Sebastian stared at the woman in front of him, wondering if she truly said what she did or not, then chuckled.

"Being sympathetic towards a demon does not flatter you either." He replied, still chuckling.

Rowena sighed.

"I tried." She shrugged.

She saw the ingredients she had asked for set on a large wooden table in the centre of the kitchen.

"Demon. You have not returned my phial." She realised.

"You had not asked for it, my lady." The demon replied sweetly.

Rowena glared at him.

"It is mine. I should not be expected to ask for it." She said in annoyance.

"Excuse me," he said innocently, "you may have it back." He said, holding out the empty phial to her.

Rowena continued glaring at him, but took the phial out of his hand.

"What is the time, demon?" She asked.

The demon took out his pocket watch and checked the time.

"It is almost 4:30, my lady." He replied.

Rowena sighed.

"It is too late to concoct this potion." She said in frustration. "Time matters and I honestly wish at times it didn't. Also, I've been wondering, should you not be by your master's side, as he is unwell?" She asked.

The demon butler smiled.

"I have done as much as I can, I can not do any more, time will make him better." He replied courteously.

"I'm guessing we are the only ones that are well, the preparations for dinner must be left to us, then." She thought aloud.

"You can rest and leave the dinner preparations to me." The demon said graciously.

Rowena glared at the demon.

"You truly do not help yourself, demon. I do not wish to rest." She said stubbornly. "Have you served the Earl his afternoon tea?"

"What kind of butler would I be if I forgot to serve my master afternoon tea?" He replied.

He could not get any worse than he already is, she thought.

"I will make the preparations for dinner and, before you ask, no, I do not need help." She said simply, walking around the kitchen and taking out ingredients.

Sebastian watched her bustling about, wondering how he could stop her. He was guessing that she didn't use magic on him just because of the fact she was unwell; now that she was healthy, he knew she would not hesitate to use a spell on him. He parted his lips and smirked when he saw her reach up to get spices from a cupboard above her head.

Rowena stood on her tiptoes, and reached for the spices on the top shelf. She reached and strained, but couldn't get them, however, she knew the demon was watching, so continued trying. She huffed and groaned, hoping she was somehow getting closer. She felt someone's body press against her and a hand reach and grab the spices she needed. She turned around to be met face to chest with the demon.

"If you could kindly give me those." She muttered, feeling uncomfortable being so close to him. the demon took a step back and looked down at her. He held out the bottles of spices as Rowena reached to get them. Just as she touched a bottle, the demon held them away from her. She sighed in frustration and glared at him.

"My lady, you must learn to be more polite, it is unbecoming o-"

"Give me the spices, demon." She growled.

The demon parted his lips and smirked.

"Speak more politely." He said, as Rowena reached to get the spices. The demon merely held it above his head, as Rowena pressed herself against him, going on her tiptoes to try and get it down. She grumbled obscenities, as she stood on her feet normally again. The demon smiled down at her innocently, as Rowena glared at him.

Rowena sighed and held her palm up, facing him and pressed it against his chest. The demon felt a weight on his arm, as he struggled to fight against it. The weight kept increasing until he was forced to put his arm down, Rowena immediately grabbed the bottles of spices off him, smirking in triumph.


	8. His mistress' kiss

"Oh my goodness!" Rowena shouted. "Remain there, demon! Right there. Do not move." He kept "trying to help", but he was more of a nuisance than anything, Rowena thought.

She sighed, as she smelled the wonderful aroma of frying spices. She had decided to make curry, since she was sure the household rarely had non-European food, also, Queen Victoria herself was fond of curry; in this way, it had been decided what she wanted to make. She understood the Earl expected more than five courses for dinner, however, she would not be doing that. She would just have 3 courses. Starter, main course and dessert. She had left the preparations for the dessert to the demon.

"My lady, you are a guest, you cannot-" The demon started.

"I can and will do what I want." She said stubbornly.

Sebastian sighed and observed what she was doing from a place far from her (she had made him stand there). He truly felt she should not be working. She had just been very sick, after all. He wondered what he could do to hinder her progress...

Rowena smiled as she put in the meat, feeling proud of how the curry was coming along. She inhaled the aroma once more and frowned. A spice was missing. She inhaled again, just to be sure and realised two spices were missing. Rowena scowled and turned around to stare at the demon.

"Demon," she uttered, "can you point me to where the turmeric and saffron are?"

The demon parted his lips and smirked.

"They are situated on the shelf above your head, my lady." He pointed to a shelf to Rowena's right, far above where she could reach. "If you would like, I could get it for you?" He asked, his smirk widening.

Rowena groaned. She did not wish to accept any help from the demon at all. She looked around the kitchen, looking for some sort of hope and found it sitting beneath the sink. She smirked and walked towards it, bending down to pick up a wooden ladder that had been lying there.

"I do not need it." She replied coolly. She went to the shelf that had the spices she was looking for and rested the ladder on the wall. She, then proceeded in climbing up the ladder. Once she was high enough to see the spices on the shelf, she smiled. As she went to grab the two she needed, the step of the ladder which she was standing on broke. She gasped, trying to hold onto something, but only managing to knock down many spice bottles. She closed her eyes as she fell.

Sebastian watched the ladder break and, immediately, he was by her side, holding his arms out for her to fall into.

Rowena gasped as she fell into something firm but soft. She opened her eyes to see the demon smiling sweetly down at her. She looked around her and realised she had made a large mess. Her eyes widened.

"Do I receive at least a caress on my lips...with yours, as a token of gratitude?" He asked with a smirk. Rowena glared at him.

"Still your lips, demon." She said in agitation, but then looked around. "Oh, goddess Hecate help me..." She muttered. "S...Sebastian...I...uhm...I apologise for the mess..." She muttered awkwardly, yet genuinely. She truly felt terrible for what she had caused and a loss of heart too; she no longer wished to cook.

Sebastian stared at the woman in his arms. It was a strange sensation to hear her call him by his name and not "demon" and he could tell it was as strange a sensation for her to say it. She looked absolutely distraught, as if she had just lost her only child.

"You can prepare dinner..." She said quietly.

"Now, my lady, do not lose heart so easily, it truly wasn't your fault." Sebastian said kindly, hoping to cheer her up.

"It would not have happened if you would have made dinner..." She mumbled miserably.

Sebastian sighed, knowing she would be stubborn. He sat her down on a chair and went to check on the curry. It had not burnt, so he took the extra spices Rowena had wanted and put them in it.

After a few hours, dinner was ready. Sebastian smiled to himself, then turned around to find a saddened Rowena, sitting with a slight pout on her face. Sebastian walked up to her.

"My, my, my," he said teasingly, "don't you look absolutely adorable."

Rowena stared up at him sadly, then shook her head, looking at the floor again.

Sebastian sighed deeply. He walked towards the mess and stared at it. He wondered why she was so upset, he had cleaned up worse than this because of the three servants. It truly was not such a terrible mistake. Additionally, it truly wasn't her fault that the ladder had broken. Sebastian guessed her pride had been hurt in the process, that must be what it is. Within a few seconds, everything was cleared and the kitchen was spotless once more. Sebastian turned to look at his future bride, who sat there with a pout, and sighed. He walked towards her once again and bent down so his face was in level with hers. He heard her nutter something under her breath, but didn't hear one word.

"My lady-" He started, but was stopped with her lips being pressed against his. She removed her lips as quickly as she had pressed them on. Sebastian stared at the woman in surprise. Why was she so unpredictable?

"Your token of gratitude..." She muttered, not looking at him. "Tell no one." She added darkly.

Her heart pounded in her cheat, she couldn't believe what she had done. She felt she had betrayed the coven for kissing the demon, no matter how brief the kiss was. Her mouth felt foul. It disgusted her that she had done what she did, but she'd felt it was the right thing to do...at the time, now she just felt contaminated. What was she thinking? What sort of whim was that? She didn't even want to kiss him, yet just because of the sole reason that he asked for it, she was willing to do so. It didn't feel justified, she was so disappointed in herself.

Sebastian watched his future wife's expressions turn darker and gloomier. He guessed she regretted kissing him. He still wasn't sure as to why she had kissed him, but he decided he wouldn't ever speak of it. He hoped she would eventually see that she could rely on him...but he guessed it'd be a long time before she even grew a liking to him, let alone trust him.


	9. His Mistress' Sympathy

Rowena lay in bed, the disaster in the kitchen still fresh in her mind. She strived for perfection and to see that she had caused such a large mess depressed her. She cursed. The demon was everything she wasn't. She was blemished and he perfect. Whatever task he had to do, it would be done without fault. Her head throbbed painfully. She truly wished she wasn't so incompetent at times. But, then Rowena shrugged, what did her abilities matter? She always had magic to rely on, after all. She smirked, but immediately frowned. She wished she didn't have to rely on her magic all the time. She wondered how the ladder broke and decided it must be because of her weight...she sighed. She hated being extremely voluptuous. Perhaps she should try and change this...

She heard a chuckle beside her bedside. She peeled her eyes open, expecting the demon to be standing there, but to her pleasant surprise, she realised it was just Theodore and Benjamin.

"Excuse me for saying my lady, but the facial expressions you had made were very strange. At first you were annoyed, but then you were happy and then you were sad, it was amusing to watch." Theodore said adorably sweetly.

"What were you thinking about, my lady?" Benjamin asked in a strange manner, Rowena could not identify. She sat up in bed, crossing her legs and setting her hands in her lap.

Rowena smirked inwardly.

"I was merely contemplating whether I felt an attraction towards you or Theodore." She said, with an expressionless face.

A stunned silence followed, the two boys reddening.

"You do not truly mean so?" Benjamin questioned, abashed.

"Indeed, you are right." She replied simply, smirking at the two boys relieved faces. "And, so, why are you two here? I was told you are sick."

"We are better than we were..." Benjamin trailed off.

"I can tell."

"We were sent by Sebastian to tell you that you and him must go for a walk." Theodore spoke up happily.

Rowena raised an eyebrow.

"Do you mean in a romantic sense?" She asked.

Benjamin nodded slowly, as if he didn't wish it were the case.

Rowena groaned.

"I am guessing the demon decided this." She stated, instead of asked.

"No, my lady, it was decided by the Earl." Theodore revealed.

"I see..." She muttered, "well then, I guess it cannot be avoided." She got off the bed and walked towards her wardrobe. "If you two would take your leave."

The two servants bowed and headed towards the door.

"Halt! A moment, please." Rowena said loudly, turning around to look at the two, as they did the same.

"Yes, my lady?" The two said together, then looked at each other, smiling like two school boys.

Rowena smiled.

"How are the wedding preparations?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"They are going well, aside from Theodore's little antics." Benjamin spoke, a smile tugging at his face. "In the morning, Theodore placed masses of candle clocks around the house and placed many nails in each, roughly around the same time, he then screamed that there were ghosts haunting this house, knowing when the nails would fall and, just as he said this, the nails clanged on the plates, causing a loud ruckus across the bottom and first floor. Had I not known, I would have definitely been fooled." Benjamin chuckled, as Theodore swelled with pride.

"Bravo, Theodore." She said smiling widely.

"Thank you, my lady." He said, with pride, bowing to his mistress. "But Sebastian found all the candle clocks and asked if I wanted them back, in front of the other servants, he ruined my hard work." He added, with a slight pout.

"Theodore, my dear, by now you must know the demon is one that takes pleasure in killing people's joy." She sighed in distress. "Perhaps you should try your shenanigans on him." She said, flicking her hand dismissively at them.

Theodore's eyes glinted in mischief and Benjamin smirked.

"Now, if you two would kindly take your leave, please." She said.

"Yes, my lady." The servants said, before bowing and leaving the room.

Rowena sighed. She searched for five minutes for a suitable dress to wear. She needed it to be more sophisticated than the dress she was wearing, but not too much so, as it was just a walk.

She took out a dress which she wasn't sure about at first, but as she stared at it, she grew a liking to it. She took off the dress she was wearing and the petticoat, replacing it for two white ones instead, then wore the dress over it. The two petticoats caused the dress to be more puffed out, which was what Rowena intended. Within 15 minutes, she was ready. She stood in front of the full body mirror and gazed at the dress she was wearing.

She had taken out a pale gold coloured silk dress with white lace trimmings, which came with a dress coat to match it. Three bows were situated on the torso of the dress and the dress slightly grazed the floor as Rowena walked. The dress coat itself narrowed at the waist and then expanded outwards and the sleeves of the dress coat expanded outwards as well.

She smoothed out the front of the dress, hoping she wasn't overdressed for the occasion.

She heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." She said.

"My lady, are you ready?" The smooth, deep voice of the demon uttered.

"I am indeed," she said, looking away from the mirror and at him. He was still wearing his butler uniform; it annoyed her that he could easily get away with wearing the uniform anywhere, but she, as an upper class woman, had to dress appropriately. May the goddess Hecate help her, she thought.

"Shall we go?" He asked, bowing and holding out his hand to her.

"We shall." She said, brushing past him. She waited by the door, hearing the demon sigh, out of agitation or tiredness, she wasn't sure.

The demon straightened up and walked towards the door, opening it for Rowena. She walked through and the demon followed. He walked faster than her, so, he went past her to show her the way out of the manor.

As they walked past the front garden of the manor, a question formed in her head.

"Is it not too early to do such...intimate things?" She asked, catching up to the demon so they walked side by side.

"If it is what my master wishes, then it is what I will do." He replied.

"Does your opinion not matter in the least to your master?" She asked, her annoyance getting the better of her.

"In many ways I am highly opinionated, however I do not normally express my opinion," he said, "I do not find much purpose in doing so."

Rowena rolled her eyes.

"There is a purpose to it." She said simply, not wishing to discuss the subject further. The demon did not speak about it afterwards either, he knew neither could sway the other.

They reached the carriage that was waiting for them and the demon helped her get inside. To her pleasant surprise, he decided to sit across from her instead of next to her.

The carriage started moving and, Rowena sensed something would happen during their walk, pleasant or not, she wasn't sure. Although it was the most vague feeling ever, it was still there and her instincts had never failed her yet.

The carriage ride was fairly mundane. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, except for the fact she kept hitting the carriage walls whenever they took a turn, so the demon, out of sheer courtesy, decided to hold her against him, like he had done the first time they'd formally met.

Once they arrived at their destination, the demon helped Rowena out of the carriage and instantly, they were surrounded by lords and ladies and other upper class people. The smell of sweets and savoury foods alike wafted through the cool night air, immediately making it stifling and suffocating. Some women fainted as the heat got the better of them. They had to be picked up by their servants or their husbands.

"I wish to get away from here." Rowena muttered.

"As you wish, my lady." He replied, holding a hand out for her to take. At first, she just stared at the hand, but then, she decided she was too claustrophobic to care. She took the hand and the demon pulled her closer to him by it, wrapping an arm around her waist, causing her to shudder in disgust.

As they passed the multiple stalls, that were selling multiple things ranging from food to hats, she saw a flower stall which sold many strange and known flowers alike, as she had travelled the world previously, she knew the names of many of the flowers being sold, but what caught her eye was the small bouquet of white camellia flowers. She gazed at the flowers with a desire to possess them. She had always adored them. Many would say it looked slightly like a rose, but she disagreed, she felt they were far prettier.

Sebastian saw his future bride gaze at the camellia flowers and decided he would obtain them in order to give them to her. But, if he did, it would mean something immense to a demon and he wasn't sure if that would be right...

Rowena sighed, knowing she wouldn't possess them and continued walking. Soon enough, they had left the hustle and bustle of the market and were surrounded by trees and grass. St. James' park had always been better at night time, Rowena felt. The waxing moon reflected on the river that flowed through the park. As it was night, the river was a dark shade of Persian blue, the ripples causing everything reflected on it to look distorted. Crickets chirped noisily and the scent of wet moss and grass drifted through the air, causing Rowena to sigh in content.

Suddenly, a man shouted in the distance, causing the serenity of the place to be broken, Rowena saw a girl, no more than in her teenage years running towards her. The girl was dressed in rags and had dirt covering her face and body. She was looking behind her and so, didn't realise she was about to run into someone. At the last second, the girl turned around, but it was too late. Her eyes widened as she collided with Rowena.

"Oof." Rowena muttered, as the girl fell on the floor on impact. Her eyes looked frantically around, clutching something tightly in her right hand. A man came running towards them too, a murderous look on his face.

"Thief!" He shouted, grabbing the girl by her shoulders and lifting her up off the floor.

"Let go of me!" She screamed, kicking and punching.

"What seems to be the matter?" Rowena asked.

"Oh, excuse me my lady." The man said. He was tall, but not as tall as the demon, and was large, but not muscular. He had terrible stubble and many of his teeth were gone or yellowed. "This girl stole bread off me, she did." He spoke with a distinct working class accent.

"Good sir, surely you could spare a loaf, this girl looks to be half starved." Rowena said sympathetically. The man's face softened at her words.

"I wish I could ma'am, bu' I 'aven't sold a lo' today an' I need that money to feed my family, I do." He replied sadly.

"What if I paid for what the girl stole?" She asked, feeling sympathy towards both people.

"Tha' would be alrigh'" He replied with a grin, showing his crooked, yellow teeth.

Rowena nodded.

"Then do please let go of her."

The man realised he was still clenching her shoulder and immediately let go of her.

"De-Sebastian," she corrected herself, "if you would kindly pay for what this girl has stolen," she said, not looking at him. The demon smiled.

"As you wish." He said, giving the man a few coins.

"Oh, and give him more for his family." She added, as the demon handed him more coins.

The man's face lit up.

"Tha's a pound an' a silver sixpence, tha' is!" He exclaimed, holding it up to his face, as if it he couldn't believe it.

"I hope that is enough to last you for a while." Rowena replied.

The man nodded his head joyfully.

"Thank you, ma'am!" He exclaimed enthusiastically.

"You are most welcome." She replied. "You may go."

The man nodded and walked back the way he had came with a slight bounce in his step, Rowena noticed.

She then turned her head to look at the girl, who was shivering, out of fear or the cold, Rowena wasn't sure.

"You are a werewolf." Rowena stated, as the girl's eyes widened.


	10. His Mistress' New Servant

"Oh and, what you must know: never steal from someone you cannot run away from." Rowena smirked. The girl stared at her with large, glistening silver eyes.

"W-werewolves don't exist!" She shouted hesitantly, causing Rowena's smirk to widen.

"Au contraire, you of all people should know that isn't the case, or is it the fact you prefer being called a lycanthrope? Well then, so be it." Rowena replied, shrugging her shoulders dismissively.

"You...you have no proof!" The girl exclaimed.

"Your eyes." Rowena stated. The girl cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Your eyes are silver, not grey. A common trait in lycanthropes, although some tend to have violet, or even gold coloured eyes."

The girl's eyes widened, knowing she had been caught.

"Please, don't raise an alarm." She begged.

"Why would I? We are the same as you, in a sense." Rowena stated. "I am a witch and the man beside me is a demon." She added, seeing the girl's confused expression.

"The man is gone..." The girl trailed off.

Rowena turned to look to her right and realised the girl told the truth. She cursed the demon under her breath. What was he thinking in leaving her alone? If something were to happen to her, he would be to blame, surely he knew that. Rowena guessed the demon thought she would use magic to defend herself if anything were to happen. Whatever the case, it de-

"Please excuse my tardiness." She heard a deep, smooth voice from behind her, as the demon came into view.

He stood beside her, holding a small bouquet of (Rowena groaned inwardly) white camellia flowers. He bowed and held out the bouquet to her.

"For my lady," he said smoothly, "and my future bride."

"I did not ask this of you..." Rowena muttered bitterly, grudgingly taking the bouquet off him and inhaling the sweet scent of the flowers.

"I am aware of that," the demon replied, "however, I observed the longing look in your eyes and felt I should obtain them for you. It's strange, really, that all flowers have a meaning..." The demon mused, straightening up.

"And what would these flowers mean?" Rowena asked indifferently.

"For the one who gives the flowers, it would mean their destiny is in the hands of the one who receives. However, that is what humans believe it to be; for a demon, it has slightly more depth than that..." He trailed off.

"And so, what would it mean for a demon?" She asked.

"It would mean, for both people involved, that their hearts are tied together by a silver thread..." He trailed off, "the silver thread that ties two soulmates together. The camellia flower, for demons, is regarded even more highly than a rose and is only ever given to one's soulmate."

Rowena rolled her eyes.

"Speculations." She waved her hand dismissively.

"Do you not truly believe in soulmates?" The demon enquired.

"I do. I merely haven't found mine and, I suppose I never will." She stated without emotion.

The girl watched the two intently. She saw the light leave the man's eyes as he heard the woman say this, she guessed he believed she was her soulmate, but wouldn't speak of it to her, she wasn't sure why since, she guessed from what they were talking about, that they were to be wed.

Rowena saw the girl from the corner of her eyes and turned to her, staring at her as if she had just realised she was there.

"Excuse our behaviour," she said, "could you tell us your name?"

"Frances Raleigh." The girl said, brushing her short black hair out of her eyes with her hand.

"Do you have parents?" Rowena questioned. The shook her head sadly, look down and the ground. "It will soon be a full moon..." Rowena mused, causing the girl to nod her head grimly, as she continued looking down at the ground, "I'm guessing you have no place to go." The girl nodded, finally looking at the woman. "You ma-"

"Absolutely not." The demon stated, looking at Frances with concealed contempt.

"Excuse you, demon," Rowena said coldly, "I have not asked you to speak and so, if you would kindly keep all your underlying opinions to yourself." The demon frowned at the comment, causing Rowena to smirk. "As I was saying, you may live with us, as one of my servants, if it pleases you. I will make sure no harm comes your way and during your metamorphosis, you will do no harm, also, I will give you as much freedom as I am able to, but there will always be boundaries."

"Ma'am, I do not have any other choice but to work as your servant. I only ask you confirm that I will do no harm during the time I am a werewolf."

"I vow to you will not." Rowena stated.

"My lady-" The demon started.

"Still your lips." She said instantly, turning towards Frances, she said, "if you would follow us."

"I do not like dogs." The demon muttered to himself as he walked in front of the two women to show where they were to wait for the carriage.

As they waited for the carriage, the two women chatted mindlessly like old friends, whilst the demon watched them from a few paces away. He had never seen Rowena open up to anyone like this, he watched her eyes glint with happiness, causing a smile to tug at his lips, but he immediately frowned. He wished he hadn't done what he did, even though it could not be helped...

The carriage arrived after a few minutes of waiting and the demon went to open the door and help the two women in.

The girl sat across from Rowena, knowing that, as a servant she couldn't sit next to her master/mistress, unless there was no choice. The demon got inside and closed the carriage door behind him, sitting next to Rowena. To save them the trouble later on, he held her against him, as she groaned, not enjoying the experience. Frances smiled at the couple's interaction, finding them to be perfect for each other. She heard them talking in hushed whispers; so she guessed they were talking about her.

"Demon, she will be a servant of mine, does it truly matter? The manor is very large, I'm sure an extra helping hand would be good." She said quietly, so as to not let Frances hear.

"My lady please, we already have a demon dog, we do not ne-"

"Silence," she muttered darkly, "do not ever talk about her like that."

"Excuse me, my lady," the demon said sincerely, "what I mean to say is, we do not need anymore servants."

"I hardly care." Rowena said, trying to hide a yawn, but not being able to.

The demon parted his lips and smiled.

"It seems you are tired, perhaps you should sleep." He suggested.

"I...do not wish...to...sleep..." she muttered tiredly, nuzzling her face in his chest and closing her eyes.

Sebastian chuckled as he heard her snore lightly. He picked her legs up and rested them on the seats of the carriage, supporting her head with his gloved hand. He caressed her cheek lightly, but stopped when he saw her stir in his sleep. He gently took the bouquet out of her hands, wondering what to do with them.

"I'll take them, if you would like?" Frances asked hesitantly, she knew that he did not particularly like her. Sebastian nodded and gave the flowers to her, she took them carefully, as to not damage them.

"You have grown attached to her, haven't you?" She asked, staring at the woman and smiling softly. Sebastian stared at the girl uncomfortably before deciding to answer.

"It does not matter if I have or haven't." He replied courteously.

Frances shook her head.

"It's obvious in the way you look at her; you feel you two are connected." She continued.

"I will say again, it does not matter." Sebastian said, not unkindly.

"Hiding what you truly feel isn't always right." Frances said quietly. He stared at the girl curiously, he guessed she was around 15 years old, but she seemed far more clever than her age and far too educated in the way she talked for an orphan who has been living on the streets.

Sebastian sighed.

"My, my, you speak just like her," he said teasingly, "no wonder she has grown a liking to you."

Frances grinned.

"She is kind and is good-humoured," she complimented, "and is beautiful," she added slyly.

"One cannot deny a witch's beauty." Sebastian said smoothly.

Frances sighed in defeat.

"It will happen, that one day, you are unable to control your emotions towards her and they will flow out of your mouth before you are able to help it." She prophesied. "But, why should it even matter if you feel this way towards her? The two of you are to be wed, after all."

Sebastian chuckled, she truly talked maturely, but he highly doubted he would ever confess anything to Rowena. He didn't feel anything towards the woman, of course, curiosity and attraction didn't count. Sebastian stopped chuckling. Did he say he felt an attraction towards her? He sighed, it was just a physical attraction, he thought, parting his lips and smirking, after all, demon's hardly found someone they truly cared for.


	11. His Mistress In A Conundrum

Sebastian lay Rowena down on her bed, pulling the covers up. She stirred in her sleep, muttering things he couldn't understand. He chuckled quietly, whilst caressing her cheek lightly and smiling to himself when suddenly, Rowena grabbed his hand and held it to her face. His eyes widened, as she purred gently in her sleep. Sebastian parted his lips and smiled at the woman.

"My, my..." He murmured softly, "you truly have made my job difficult...I suppose I could easily remove my hand without waking you up, but then I wouldn't be able to tease you in the morning about this, after you get angry at me for sleeping in the same bed as you..." Sebastian chuckled, quietly sliding into bed. Rowena turned to face away from him, as he wrapped an arm around her waist, still stroking her cheek with his free hand. Her back was pressed against his chest and he could feel her warmth radiate from her body. He hadn't expected his young master to let him go on a walk with her, even if she was to be his future bride and he definitely hadn't expected that he would be allowed the night to himself either.

Daylight arrived and, to his surprise, Sebastian realised he had slept. He looked down to find Rowena's head resting on his chest, as she snored lightly. Sebastian smiled.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He heard from in front of him. Sebastian realised it was one of Rowena's servants, Benjamin. Her favourite one, from what he knew. "JUST BECAUSE OF THE FACT YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED TO HER DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO SLEEP IN THE SAME BED AS HER OUT OF WEDLOCK." He boomed.

Rowena stirred in her sleep, she brought her hand to rest on his chest, as her eyes furrowed in confusion. She peeled her eyes open to stare at Benjamin.

"Benjamin..." Rowena muttered sleepily, "why must you shout so loudly?"

Benjamin looked at her fuming with rage; it was the first time Rowena had seen him this angry. It was only then that Rowena realised she was lying on something firm and not quite as soft. She looked up to be met with the face of the demon. She recoiled away from instantly.

"What were you doing?!" She shouted.

"So...you did not know he was in your bed?" Benjamin asked. Rowena shook her head.

The demon sighed in mock exasperation.

"If you two would so kindly give me a moment to explain." He said.

"No. How dare you do such a thing?!" Benjamin shouted. "Up." He muttered. "GET UP, DEMON AND FIGHT ME." He screamed.

"Now, please think rationally. Are you sure you would like to engage in combat with a demon?" Sebastian asked rhetorically with a smirk and a cruel glint in his eyes. Rowena saw the glint in his eyes and her eyes widened.

"Benjamin...don't do anything so rash...you cannot win against a demon..." She said quietly. But, whatever Rowena said to resolve the argument, only made Benjamin more determined to prove her wrong.

"You will observe me fight and win the demon!" He roared furiously.

"Benjamin, please stop shouting..." Rowena whispered, feeling her head ring. She groaned in pain, resting a hand on her temple.

"Can you not see your shouting isn't helping your mistress, please, if you would kindly stop."

"Don't pretend you care about her." He screamed, causing Rowena's head to ring even more. "All you have ever done is annoy and frustrate her."

"And yet, I seem to worry more about her than you and I am a cold hearted demon, now this must tell you something." The demon said nonchalantly.

Benjamin fumed at the comment.

"I suppose it is your mistress' fault for giving you so much freedom..." He mused.

Suddenly, Rowena's door opened and Frances walked in, just as Benjamin launched himself at the demon. Immediately, Frances pounced, tackling Benjamin to the floor. She pinned him down with her whole body pressed against his, as she was small, it was difficult to hold him down without using her whole body. Because of this, their faces were very close. Benjamin panted, rage still visible in his eyes.

"Please, calm down, can you not see your actions upset our mistress? Also, how can you possibly win a fight against a demon?" Frances asked calmly. Benjamin stared at her and immediately felt his anger and rage leave.

"You may get off me..." He muttered, as Frances did so. The two stood up and Benjamin went to stand in front of Rowena, looking at the floor ashamedly.

"I apologise deeply for my behaviour, my lady, my actions were uncalled for and I ask you forgive me..." He muttered ashamedly.

"Dear Benjamin, you know I'd always forgive you when you ask for it, but please do not use that as an excuse to do terrible things and then ask for forgiveness." Rowena frowned.

Benjamin shook his head.

"I truly do not mean to..." He mumbled.

"I know." Rowena said simply. Benjamin sighed and went to stand in front of the demon.

"I would like a word outside..." He muttered.

"Very well." The demon got up without a word and left the room, leaving Benjamin standing there for a while in utter bafflement, until he realised where the demon had gone and left the room as well.

Rowena stared at the bed sheets and sighed sadly.

"Excuse me for entering your room without proper courtesy, my lady." Frances said serenely. "I felt something terrible would happen and so, I came here immediately after hearing Benjamin's shouting."

"You did what had to be done..." Rowena muttered. "I thank you for stopping Benjamin."

"It was what had to be done; he would have gotten killed by Sebastian." Frances replied, as Rowena nodded.

"It seems Benjamin has found his soulmate." Rowena smiled tiredly.

"Who?" Frances asked, barely able to conceal the anxiousness from her voice. Rowena smirked at this.

"You." She said simply, causing the girl's eyes to widen.

"How can you be so sure? We have barely met." She asked curiously.

"I have seen many people find their soulmates; it's always different for each person, but in essence, it is all the same. You feel it, do you not? The feeling of being bonded to that person, however it's not a terrible kind of bond, it is more like a connection; a link to that person. Benjamin isn't terrible, " she assured, "he just tends to let his emotions get the better of him at times, but it is better that way, as, if you have a problem, he will be honest with you and you two will be able to resolve it."

Frances stayed silent, unsure how to respond.

Rowena sighed wearily, before a knock on the door was heard.

"Come in," she muttered tiredly. She stared warily at Benjamin as he and the demon entered the room.

"I apologise again, my lady." Benjamin said remorsefully.

"You are forgiven," she said quietly, "if you all would kindly leave."

The two servants bowed and left quietly, but the demon stayed. Rowena observed Benjamin stare cautiously at him.

"There is something that unnerves you when one shouts," the demon stated, to which Rowena stayed quiet, "that is why you do not fully shout, not to what amplification you can truly reach."

"What you say is correct..." she muttered.

"But, why is that so?" He enquired.

Rowena's eyes hardened.

"It matters not," she said coldly.

The demon sighed.

"Must you be so reserved?" He questioned.

"I do," she said simply, yet quietly, looking out the window instead of at him, "has Frances talked to the Earl?"

The demon nodded.

"She is allowed to remain here, as long as you take responsibility for her."

"Good. Now, please, if you would take your leave," she muttered.

The demon stared at the woman, he realised Benjamin's shouting had shaken her up more than she would convey. He didn't feel it was the right action to take, but he knew she needed to be alone. The demon bowed, placing his right hand on his chest and then straightened up and left the room.

Rowena sighed and lay back on the bed once she heard the soft click of the door, telling her that the demon had left.

Out of nowhere, a dagger was placed to her throat.

"Well, well, well," she heard a man chortle, "what do we have here?"

Rowena's eyes widened. She clicked her fingers and a lamp flew from the bedside table at the man. The man moved away just in time, but didn't realise it was a distraction. Rowena rolled on the bed and pinned the man down underneath her, panting heavily, she curled her hand into a fist and proceeded in trying to punch him, but the man merely grabbed her wrist and flipped them over. Rowena saw the blade in the man's other hand and brought her free hand down on it. The man stared wide eyed at what she had done. Blood gushed out of her hand, as Rowena bit down hard on her lip to stop herself from screaming, she didn't understand why she'd stopped herself, someone would have heard and come to her rescue; she just didn't think at the moment in time. She smeared her bloodied hand on the man's eyes. The man screamed as her blood burned through his skin. However, even through he was in pain, he managed to slam his head into hers. Rowena groaned in pain, feeling blood trickle down her forehead, she wasn't sure whose blood it was, but it didn't matter. The man had recovered from the pain; his eyes red and bulging. He swung the blade aiming for her neck. A choked gasp escaped from Rowena's lips, as it made contact and blood surged out of her neck, however, as he was blinded by her blood, he had not cut deep enough to kill her instantly.

Rowena lay there, still and motionless, succumbed by the pain, feeling her life as well as her blood drain out of her body. She was helpless; unable to do anything. Her eyes started closing against her will, as she forced them to stay open. However, it wasn't long, until she surrendered to unconsciousness.


	12. His Mistress' Determination

She drifted in and out of consciousness, but she couldn't move. She heard noises around her. Skin connecting with skin. A grunt. A scream. A wail. A growl. She needed to move, she didn't understand why she couldn't. She didn't understand why there was darkness all around her. What had happened? She couldn't remember anything.

She remembered...she remembered having the most fitful sleep she'd ever had. She remembered being happy. She remembered waking up in the demon's arms...and then the screaming and shouting and Frances pouncing on Benjamin. She remembered the apologies then everyone leaving. She remembered the dagger at her throat and wrestling the man. She remembered the dagger slicing at her. Then...pain...masses of pain.

Rowena willed herself to move, but no matter how much she tried, she remained comatose.

Silence surrounded her. But then, she heard padded footsteps walk across the carpet and next to her. The demon sighed and pressed two cool fingers to her neck.

"It seems you are comatose." He said softly. Rowena felt herself being picked up and it was only then that she realised there was something tightly wrapped around her neck. It was most likely to stop the blood from flowing, she thought.

She wanted to move. She truly did. She hated not being able to do what she wanted to. It made her skin itch with restlessness. She just needed to will her body more, she thought. Will power was all she had at the moment; she needed to utilise it. She growled, knowing no one but her could hear it. She screamed in frustration, wishing she could escape her own body.

What was she going to do? How would she do anything? Couldn't she just think of some sort of spell to help her out of this situation? She refused to wait. Waiting was for the frail. Also, how much time would pass if she did decide to wait? She was to be married in several days and, although marrying the demon made her skin crawl, she had promised she would and so, she had to. She growled in annoyance. How could she have let that man hurt her so easily? Was she given magic by the great goddess Hecate for no other reason than trivial things like turning on/off the lights or opening windows? No. She had been foolish to restrict her magic; this was the outcome of it.

Rowena sighed, knowing anger wasn't going to solve anything.

"Oh, goddess Hecate help me..." She muttered.

She felt cool fingers touch her neck again. She knew that if she were controlling herself, she would have shied away from those fingers.

She heard voices all around her and she wished they would all just keep quiet. She needed to think of a way out of this conundrum. The voices hushed, as if hearing her thoughts.

"I am supposing you can hear us, but are unable to respond," the deep, smooth voice of the demon said, "judging by what I know of your characteristics, you are most likely thinking of a way you can save yourself from this and I only have one thing to say, please do not try to do anything, there truly is nothing you can do; you must wait for your body to recover by itself."

"To hell with what you say, demon." Rowena growled, knowing he couldn't hear her, and then thinking about the irony of her words.

"Now, I know you are most likely dismissing what I say; so, I will say this: that you may try to find a way to come to, but don't be disappointed once you realise you are unable to do anything to help your cause," the demon said smoothly.

Rowena whimpered, only allowing her to do so at this moment, because no one could hear her. She needed to find a way, oh great gods and goddesses help her, she prayed...

Days passed by so quickly. Her servants and the demon would always come to talk to her, to tell her about what was going on and such, it truly made Rowena want to weep because she could not respond to them.

Sebastian walked into the room, sitting down beside her.

"Tomorrow would be the day we would have been wed...it seems this will prolong our wedding..." He mused, Rowena thought she heard slightly bitterness laced in his voice, but she pushed this feeling aside. He was only marrying her because the Earl had ordered it of him. It was then she realised: she was supposed to be getting married tomorrow. She had to find a way to keep her oath. She pushed at the barrier that stopped her from moving her body, she pushed and pushed, willing herself more and more. She knew she had to leave this comatose state. She pushed until she screamed and still continued pushing at the barrier. She had to leave this darkness. She just had to. She would marry tomorrow, no matter the consequences to her health.

Sebastian saw his future bride's body tense. He blinked, not sure whether he'd seen rightly or not. He saw her tense and strain, causing him to part his lips and smirk.

"My, my..." He whispered teasingly, "you truly are stubborn."

"Quieten your lips, demon," she growled, focusing on breaking the cursed barrier. She pushed harder and harder.

Sebastian watched cold sweat form on her body. He stood up, not entirely sure as to why he did so. He wasn't sure whether she should be straining herself so much and he truly wasn't sure why she was trying so much. He just didn't understand the purpose.

Rowena cursed herself for not making the healing potion. It should have been one of her top priorities. She screamed because of the strain, pushing even more at the barrier. She would be free from this today, she vowed.

Time seemed to slowly tick by, as Sebastian continued watching Rowena struggle to gain consciousness. Her muscles strained but never contracted, if her eyes were open, they'd be rolled back into her head. The sun crept slowly down the horizon, the seconds merging into minutes, which merged into hours and yet, he waited. He found himself willing her to fight for conscious and, without thinking, he took off the glove on his left hand and took her hand in his.

Rowena felt a strength surge through her, sheer strength she didn't know she had. She pushed and pushed with this new-found strength, she gave a low growl and pushed and pushed.

Sebastian's eyes widened, as he felt her squeeze his hand. It was the slightest change in grip, but he had felt it and at that moment, it had meant something so immense to him.

"Bring me...bring me chocolate." He heard her mutter, as her eyes peeled open slowly.

Sebastian smiled, letting go of her hand. she didn't know why, but she felt some of her energy ebb away. She disconnectedly realised the green silk bed sheets and covers had been replaced for black ones.

"I will do so right away," he replied kindly.

Within the few minutes he had left, she heard the door to her room fling open and her servants and the Earl's servants barged in, whilst the Earl walked at a more leisurely pace. Questions and exclamations of happiness flung at her from all directions, causing Rowena's head to hurt.

"My lady!" Benjamin shouted.

"Don't shout..." She muttered, finally feeling the pain settle in. She groaned, her neck hurt so much, and that truly was an understatement. She couldn't convey how much pain she was in. She gasped, her eyes rolling back into her head.

"Bardroy! Bring Sebastian!" She heard the Earl shout authoritatively, followed by a "yes my lord". It felt like a lifetime until she felt those cool fingers on her neck again, but in reality, it was only a few minutes.

"If you would all please take your leave," Sebastian said to the group in his future bride's room. She heard Benjamin protest, but Sebastian remained adamant and finally, everyone was out, leaving her with him. "It is because you have not eaten or drank anything." He said softy, applying something on her neck that made Rowena hiss in pain, her eyes returned to where they were supposed to be, as she shivered. From what, she wasn't sure.

"D-demon..." She whispered. She felt her upper body being gently lifted up into a sitting position, as she groaned, not wanting to get up. The demon broke a piece of chocolate off and brought it to her lips as she parted her lips, eating it carefully. She grimaced in pain when she swallowed the chocolate. "Damn that man..." She muttered shakily, the gash in her throat making it difficult for her to speak.

"I was sure to do exactly that." The demon smirked, his eyes glinting with an inhuman glow. Rowena shuddered, unable to determine whether she wanted to know or not. She felt hot liquid being brought to her lips, as she sighed contently, inhaling the sweet scent of jasmines. She took a small sip, feeling some of her energy return to her.

"The wedding shall happen tomorrow," she stated.

"Please do not overexert yourself, you-"

"It will happen tomorrow," she repeated.


	13. His Mistress Weds

"Make sure everything is ready for tomorrow, you have invited guests, I presume?" she asked quietly, still unable to talk properly. She had finished eating the chocolate the demon had brought and had drunk the cup of jasmine tea, immediately feeling better afterwards. The demon nodded, "well, then, we cannot disappoint them."

"My lady, it is night time, it would be quite improper to make the servants work so long into the night and also have them work for so long tomorrow," the demon said gently.

Rowena smiled slightly, fighting against the overwhelming pain.

"Ahh, but I trust you can finish the wedding preparations yourself," she said slowly, not able to speak properly.

The demon didn't know whether to smirk because of the comment, or frown because she was not able to speak very well. In the end, he decided to smirk.

"You are right. If I couldn't do something as simple as finish off all the preparations for a wedding, then what kind of butler would I be?" He asked.

Rowena sighed sadly, the reality finally sinking in. She was to be wed tomorrow, or more precisely, in several hours. She would be marrying a demon. Something she loathed. The life she chose would be thrown away and a new life would be thrust into her arms. She knew that no matter how much she fooled herself, in the end, she would have to fulfil her duties as a lady and a wife. And she hated that she had to. She went to brush a stray hair out of her face, but winced, staring at the deep wound in her hand. A witch's blood was poisonous to any that didn't belong to the night, as the man would have found out.

She felt the demon brush her hair away from her face, lightly caressing her cheek with his cool fingers. Rowena sighed, not having the energy to move away from him.

"Do not be so glum..." The demon whispered, retracting his arm.

"I am merely tired," she replied quietly.

"Well then, as you have been so hasty to marry me, I can only blame you for your own demise," the demon said teasingly.

"And rightly so," she muttered, not hearing the playfulness in his tone, "when did you come into my room?"

The demon cocked his head to the side, unsure as to what she meant.

"When the man attacked me," she elaborated, not in the mood to speak, but curiosity nudging her forward.

"Ahh. I heard a lamp being thrown and thought it to be a way that you let out your frustration and so, I continued walking; however I heard a strange scream and it truly couldn't be yours because it was masculine. Once I had entered your room, you were already unconscious," the demon explained, "I apologise for not being there sooner," he added.

"It truly wasn't your fault," she replied, then groaning in pain.

"You should retire for tonight, hopefully you will be much better in the morning," the demon said softly.

"Of course..." Was all Rowena managed to get out. The demon tenderly placed a hand on the back of her head and stomach and slowly eased her down on the bed.

She sighed once her head hit the pillow, immediately drifting to sleep.

Sebastian tucked the woman into bed, hearing her light snoring and chuckling quietly.

"Goodness me, you truly make me work..." He whispered, turning to exit the room and finish off the wedding preparations.

Rowena woke up to someone shaking her gently, as she groaned.

"Miss, it's your wedding day, you don't want to be late, yes?" she heard a woman croak. Rowena groaned again.

"A few more minutes, please..." She mumbled under the covers. Suddenly, the words that the woman had said sunk in. It was her wedding day. Rowena got up from bed, forgetting about her neck and hand for a moment and, once she did remember, she waited for the immense pain that never came.

Rowena, without thinking, touched her neck and felt there to just be smooth skin, as if the encounter with that strange man never happened.

"Your wounds are completely healed!" the woman croaked in fascination. Rowena turned her head to stare at her and smiled tiredly.

"Indeed."

"You will be marrying Mister Sebastian, you must be so happy!" Meirin exclaimed.

Rowena's smile wavered.

"I am absolutely overcome with joy," she replied emotionlessly.

"And after mister Sebastian took the time in trying to ask master Ciel if the wedding could not happen at all, because you didn't want it." Meirin croaked, "but who wouldn't want to marry Mister Sebastian?" At what she said, Meirin's nose bled, she took out a handkerchief from her maid uniform and dabbed her nose with it.

Rowena stared at her.

"The d-Sebastian did this?" She asked in surprise.

The woman nodded enthusiastically, still trying to control her nosebleed.

"Oh, yes. He tried insisting that a wedding was not a good idea, but master Ciel told him that he had to marry you," she croaked, "I'm so happy he didn't cancel the wedding!"

Rowena felt touched. She didn't think he would go through the trouble to cancel the wedding, solely because she didn't want to marry him. She shook her head. No. He did this because it would have meant he didn't have to do work. This was the answer she was more comfortable with, but she wouldn't admit that it may not be the truth.

"As am I," she muttered, dangling her legs from the side of the bed and getting off it, "I presume you will be helping me get dressed for today?" Meirin nodded, clasping her hands together happily, "well then, if you would kindly bring the dress, which I have yet to see."

"Yes my lady!" Meirin shouted, dashing out of the room to fetch the dress. Rowena cocked an eyebrow, wondering if she'd be running back with the dress as well. She truly hoped not. She went to stand in front the full body mirror. She most certainly had lost a lot of weight because of her being in a coma and she had also gotten paler. Some hair had started to curl inwards at the tips and some outwards, telling her she needed her haircut. Her green eyes had become dark and dull, going from an apple green to a forest green. She sighed. She guessed the only positive thing she had gained was her loss. Her loss in weight, to be precise.

Meirin ran up the stairs and down the corridors with the wedding dress in her hand, excitement getting the better of her. Before she realised it, she crashed into someone.

"Oh no!" She exclaimed checking to see if the dress was okay. She gasped as she saw a patch of red quickly spreading across the dress.

"Meirin! That was the wine for the wedding! Why were you running?" Abigail exclaimed, staring in horror at the dress.

"I'm so sorry! I was so excited, I was!" She shouted.

Abigail sighed.

"Okay, I'll go to get the dress mended and you should get more wine from the cellar," she said.

"Oh, I do hope you can fix it!" Merin exclaimed.

"I'm sure I'll be able to find a way." Abigail replied, "now, I'll be taking my leave," she said, picking up the dress then turning around and walking away from her.

Meirin picked up the wine bottle which hadn't been broken and ran downstairs to the cellar.

Abigail knocked on Rowena's door, a second later; she heard an emotionless voice from inside telling her to come in. She quietly opened the door, holding the dress carefully in one hand.

Rowena watched her servant enter, a cryptic look on her face.

"My lady..." Abigail started nervously.

"I'm presuming something happened to the dress I had asked Meirin to fetch?" Rowena asked flatly.

Abigail nodded slowly. Rowena sighed.

"Place it on the bed, if you please."

Abigail walked towards the bed and tenderly put it down. Rowena looked at the large stain on the dress and clenched her fist, hovering it over the stain. Slowly but surely, the stain turned into red vapour, dissipating into the air.

"There we go..." Rowena muttered quietly, "Abigail, if you would please take a corset from the wardrobe."

Abigail noticed Rowena's quietness, but nodded and did as she was told. Rowena went to stand in front of a post and waited for Abigail. Abigail went and stood behind her, holding the corset.

Rowena took off her dressing gown and sighed sadly once she felt the corset wrap around her.

Abigail tied it tight enough to flatter Rowena's figure, but not so much that she couldn't breathe. As she was tying the corset, Abigail noticed Rowena's strange quietness.

"Are you troubled by something?" Abigail asked.

"I do not wish to marry the demon," Rowena stated bluntly.

"And so, why do you?" She asked quizzically.

Rowena sighed.

"I'm not entirely sure...the Earl wished it of me and in exchange, he allowed you, Benjamin and Theodore to stay here," she replied quietly.

"You are marrying Sebastian for us..." She whispered, helping Rowena put on the wedding dress carefully.

"Do not blame yourself. I could have easily persuaded the Earl otherwise," she replied, "I just wished to not argue with him, well, to argue with anyone."

"Except Sebastian," Abigail giggled.

Rowena raised her eyebrow.

"And what is so laughable about that?" She asked.

"It is amusing seeing the two of you bicker," Abigail admitted, giggling quietly.

Rowena sighed and went to stand in the full body mirror. It was an off-shoulder dress with floral decorations on the chest made in black silk thread. the bottom layer of the dress was made out of white silk and the top layer, Rowena wasn't sure what the name of the material, was a translucent white which rested, almost floated on the floor around her, the translucent material slightly showed the silk material underneath. The sleeves of the dress were cut at an angle, so when her arms were in them, the sleeve was longer at the side where her palm faced.

Rowena sat down on a padded stool in front of the mirror. Abigail stood behind her, combing through her hair. Several minutes passed and her hair and make-up was done. The front part of her hair was pulled back and braided into the hair at the back; her fringe was left out so it slightly covered part of her right eye. She didn't like wearing make-up and so, she had her regular amount of heavy eyeliner and blood red lipstick. Make-up was frowned upon in modern day society, but Rowena truly did not care; she was a witch, after all and witches freely used as much make-up as they pleased. She was sprayed with jasmine perfume, but not sickeningly so, because she hated it when one could smell the sickeningly sweet odour lingering in the air.

After an hour or so, Rowena walked down the (created) aisle in the Phantomhive garden, it was lined with camellia and jasmine flowers (Rowena groaned inwardly); she sensed it was just the demon's sense of humour. Her two bridesmaids were Meirin and Abigail and her flower girl was Frances. It was only then that she realised she hadn't picked a maid of honour. Rowena sighed, hearing her cue to start walking down the aisle; it was too late to do so. Abigail and Meirin held her dress from the back, while Frances threw white petals as they walked down. Rowena held a bouquet of white camellia flowers in her hands, feeling as if she were being mocked by the demon. Gasps emitted, over the playing music, from the guests seated as they turned their head to gaze at the bride. Sebastian watched her stare at the floor in quiet sadness. He stopped himself from sighing, he truly had tried to stop the wedding from happening, but for one strange reason or another, his young master was adamant in the matter and he was yet to give him a reason why. Nonetheless, he stared to his right to look at someone standing there; he hoped she would appreciate the small gift he had for her.

Rowena finally looked up to stare at the suited demon. For once, he wasn't wearing his butler uniform. She looked at the raised altar, as her eyes widened. Standing where the maid of honour was to stand, stood a woman 5'5 in height with curly, elbow-length, silver hair. Her eyes smouldered like two polished, dark brown topaz stones. She wore a smirk on her face, making her seem cruel and merciless, however, Rowena knew this wasn't the case. She was the most understanding and sympathetic person she had ever known and Rowena's heart ached seeing her again after decades of being separated. They were like twins. Rowena was the malevolent twin and she was the benevolent one; together, they balanced each other.

She reached the aisle and continued staring at her twin who smirked broadly at her. She couldn't think properly. She had thought that she had been killed. Then again, Rowena guessed she felt the same about her.

All throughout the vows, Rowena couldn't concentrate, all she thought about was the fact her twin and her were united once again. She turned to look at the demon, seeing that he was staring at the priest. He felt eyes peer at him, so he turned to look at Rowena; he closed his eyes and smiled sweetly at her. Rowena bit her lip nervously; she stopped herself from saying something, once she heard his deep, smooth voice say those two words which bound them to each other. She mechanically heard her voice repeat those two words once it was her turn to speak.

"You may now kiss the bride," she heard the priest say. Time seemed to stop and she was sure her face looked absolutely horrified. The demon looked at her understandingly, yet encouragingly, whilst she failed to hide her disgust and terror. She stared at him, with sudden realisation that he was leaning in. Rowena's heart pounded rapidly in her chest, her breathing becoming ragged. She squeezed her eyes shut without thinking. She pressed her hands on his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her waist tenderly. His breath hit her face, as Rowena started to panic. His lips inched closer and closer. She could tell her twin was watching them intently. Everyone was. In that moment, she instinctively did what she felt she had to. She blew air out from her lips and jutted her index and middle finger into the air. Immediately she pushed the demon away, observing the illusion she had created. She watched as the demon's illusion and her lips touched, her slightly tanned skin contrasting with the demon's pale one. She thought she heard the demon sigh, but she wasn't sure if she truly had or hadn't. She stared at the two contrasting people sharing a passionate kiss and she muttered quietly under her breath, knowing that the demon and her would never share something so intimate. No one had ever shared something so intimate with her, not after Andrew...The guests cheered, as Rowena's face grew gloomier and gloomier. She felt the demon snake his arms around her waist, as she placed her hands on his chest again, breathing in sharply to end the illusion. She looked at her twin, seeing her frown deeply.

The rest of the wedding passed by like a short, sharp gust of wind and, soon, she was surrounded by people complimenting and cooing her and the demon. He had taken the liberty in putting her arm through his and bringing her close to him. Rowena felt her face smile accordingly, as she saw the demon wearing his signature smile that made many women weak at the knees.

After an hour or so, Rowena was left in peace. She saw her twin talking with a guest amiably; so she waited for her to finish her conversation before heading over, with the demon in tow.

"Rowena!" Her twin exclaimed joyfully, her eyes glimmering happily.

"Zylphia," Rowena smiled, embracing her warmly. The two women held each other in their arms, gazing at the other intently, happy to just be in each other's company.

"I'm afraid we must talk later, I must deal with a few things here before I am free to speak with anyone," Zylphia said sorrowfully.

Rowena frowned.

"What is it that troubles you?" She asked. Zylphia looked around nervously.

"My husband has been accused of being a witch...his trial is tomorrow. I must practice the art of persuasion. I truly never did have a silver-tongue like yours..." she mused.

Rowena smiled.

"Ahh, but you were a far better shape-shifter than I," she countered.

"All true, dear twin, however I always did prefer your ability to transform into a raven, as opposed to my turning into a dire wolf," she laughed lightly.

"I disagree..." Rowena replied in reserved happiness, "well, if you truly must leave..." she muttered, "but please, do visit," she added in restrained hopefulness.

Zyplhia smirked, making her look like the witch she was, but Rowena knew it wasn't a cruel smirk.

"After all this time?" She asked.

"Always." Rowena smiled.* Zylphia smiled back

* * *

*** 10 points to whoever guesses where that's from xD **

**So...uhm...sorry about the boring chapter, this was kind of a filler, but not exactly, more will happen in the next chapter, it'll be more intimate and blah, blah, blah **


	14. His Mistress' Tears

"You will not bring your wardrobe filled with cats into this room," Rowena stated firmly.

"My lad-"

"No."

"If you w-"

"No."

"I do n-"

"No."

The demon sighed in exasperation. Rowena stared ahead. At the moment, she was sitting on the edge of the bed in her nightgown. No matter how much his piercing eyes stared at her, she refused to meet eyes with the demon.

"If that is the case..." he breathed.

"It is, inde-" Rowena gasped, feeling the demons warm breath hit her face, "wh-wha-"

"Hush..." he whispered, whilst brushing her hair away to expose her neck.

"Wh-what are y-"

"Shh," he whispered, taking off his glove from his left hand with his teeth and caressing her neck gently. He wrapped his other arm around her waist, causing Rowena to shiver and breathe in sharply at his touch.

"Stop..." she muttered, closing her eyes once she heard the demon's low chuckle in her ear.

"And, why would I do such a thing, my dear lady?" He breathed in her ear, "you are now my wife, and so, I must treat you like one, mustn't I?"

Rowena's eyes opened immediately once she heard him say that. She batted his hand away from her neck and moved further up the bed to get away from him. She glared at the demon who was smiling innocently at her with his eyes closed.

"Do not touch me," she growled.

"Ahh, but, my lady, you seemed to have been thoroughly enjoying it," the demon smiled sweetly.

Rowena blinked.

"Well, you were deluded to think so," she stated monotonously.

"My, my, it is just my fortune that I be wed to a woman with such promiscuous behaviour," the demon sighed in mock exasperation, ignoring what she said.

Rowena stared at him, the words not processing in her mind for a while.

"Do not utter one more word," she growled.

"Your use of makeup completely goes against the looks of a well-bred lady of your status,"

"Still your lips, demon-"

"In fact, I would even go so far as to say you look like those women on the streets of London wh-"

"I said still your lips!"

"-o sell their assets at such chea-"

"Quiet!"

"-p prices,"

"Kindly still your lips!"

"I suppose it would just be my fate to marry one su-"

Rowena growled.

"-ch as these women..." Rowena sighed, giving up. The demon watched her quiet, fuming frame, and, chuckling quietly, said, "however, one cannot deny even the most heinous witch's beauty and I can assure you, my lady, yours surpasses any I have ever laid eyes upon."

"Do not mock me!" She exclaimed, "kindly hold those lips still," she muttered grimly.

"If it is not speaking you wish me to do, I assure you, these lips are able do more than just that," the demon smirked.

Rowena stared at him. A moment passed.

"Did you truly say..." she muttered, more to herself.

"Of course," he interrupted her, "I am merely stating what is true, after all. Naturally, you are more than welcome to test how well my lips fare in satisfying you."

Rowena glared.

"I do not wish to be near your lips, especially after they have just called me a prostitute," she stated matter-of-factly. Rowena felt the bed dip slightly and glared at the demon as he moved closer to her, "what in the world are y-", without a warning, Rowena was lying underneath the demon, him pinning her down and smiling down at her.

A short, stunned silence passed between the two.

"Get off me, demon," she growled. The demon smiled sweetly down at her, shaking his head, his hair swaying softly and tickling Rowena's cheeks.

"We have yet to agree on having my cats in this room," the demon chuckled once he heard Rowena curse him.

"Kindly get off me," she growled, ignoring what he was saying. The demon shook his head again, his hair tickling Rowena's cheeks more, and chuckled. He brought his face closer to hers, causing Rowena to squirm.

"What are you doing?" She muttered, her eyes wide in surprise. The demon's cool breath hit her face, causing her to shiver involuntarily. Her glittering green eyes met with his smouldering scarlet ones. Up close, she could see the different shades of red in his eyes, causing her to intake breath sharply. She gazed at the different swirls and patterns in his eyes, unable to look away, even when his cool breath hit her lips. Rowena licked her lips unconsciously, causing the demon to stare at her lips, then smirk at her.

"All you must do is ask, my lady," he breathed, "after all, I am already yours..."

"You..."

"...are yours," he finished, bringing his lips closer to hers. Rowena's eyes fluttered closed at his words, waiting for their lips to come in contact.

Suddenly, she realised what was happening and immediately pushed the demon off the bed, hoping he would hit the ground, however, as he was an oh-so perfect demon butler, he smoothly landed on his feet by her bedside, facing her.

"Do not ever act upon such things," she said monotonously, staring up at the the canopy of the bed. She pulled the duvet up to her stomach, not feeling particularly cold, and made herself comfortable before closing her eyes and letting sleep take her.

Sebastian decided not to speak after she had uttered that last sentence. Instead, he went to turn off the light, then turned to exit her room; he had some tasks to do for his young master and he was certain his wife would prefer him not being in the same room as her while she slept. With one last glance at her from over his shoulder, he softly clicked the door closed behind him and made his way towards his young master's study.

Rowena twisted and turned in her sleep. Memories of a life long forgotten flooded her dreams. She found herself gazing into the silvery-blue eyes of her fiancé. His smiling face gazed down at her with the utmost love and affection.

Rowena groaned in her sleep.

The scene changed to when the two were lying in bed, with her head resting on his chest, a huge smile plastered on both their faces. Suddenly, a crowd barged into her room and ripped her fiancé from her arms. One man pinned her down, causing her to be unable to cast a spell. Her fiancé struggled against his captors, but they kept a firm hold on him. Before he was dragged away, he shouted to her:

"Do not hate them, they are merely Lucifer's slaves."

The words rang in her head while the memory continued playing. The man that was pinning her down had decided he didn't like her attire and so, proceeded in trying to remove it. She had struggled against him, while he pressed his weight down on her, hoping to stop her moving. She'd finally managed to flip them over and run away from him, only to be thrown down to the floor.

"Let me go!" She screamed, the man held her wrists, trying to stop her from squirming away, but she continued to struggle against him.

"My lady, it is merely a dream, you must wake up," she heard the man say.

Rowena's eyes flew open to find herself on the floor, a man holding her in his arms. The curtains of the room were drawn forward, so only a sliver of moonlight entered the room. The man's back faced the window and blocked the silver moonlight reaching her, causing her to not be able to see the man's face.

"Please let me go," she whimpered, her cheeks wet with tears. Before the man could respond, she ripped herself apart from his embrace and hurriedly backed away. The man straightened up and held a hand out, causing her to back away from him faster. Her shoulder hit something, causing pain to shoot down her shoulder and arm. She swiftly got up and turned to run away from him. She tripped over something, causing her to twist her ankle and making her collide into the dressing table. Pain shot down her torso to her thighs. With nowhere to run, she turned around to face the man, her eyes wide with terror. In the silence, all that could be heard was Rowena's ragged breathing. The man leisurely walked towards her.

"My lady," he uttered, "it is only I."

"Please," she gasped, "do not harm me."

The man chuckled lightly, continuing to walk until he stood in front of her and all she could see was him. A gloved hand reached to brush the hair away from her neck and caress it gently. Rowena's eyes widened even more.

"Demon..." she muttered, biting her lip to stop it from quivering.

"A woman such as you should not refrain from letting her feelings known," he whispered.

"D-do not lecture me on feelings," she said, her voice breaking.

"Surely I have not treated you unkindly to have you think I am your enemy?" The demon questioned.

Rowena remained quiet, his words flying over her head. She was completely and utterly lost in her thoughts. The memories that had long been buried resurfaced and played over and over again in her mind.

Before she could stop herself, tears streamed down her face. She let her long inky black hair fall down to cover her face, weeping bitterly behind the veil she had created to separate her from the demon. Behind the veil was a woman who had lost the things dear to her and on the other side was a man who was the cause of it.

Sebastian watched his wife cry, causing him to frown deeply. He took off his glove from his left hand with his teeth and proceeded in parting her hair. Behind it, he saw her weeping relentlessly.

She refused to meet eyes with him, expecting him to mock her for being so weak, however without warning, his cool hand came into contact with her cheek, causing her to involuntarily flinch.

"N-d-do not-"

"Hush," he whispered, whilst gracefully wiping her tears away.

Rowena's small frame swayed slightly, but before she could hit the ground, the demon gathered her into his arms, picking her up and placing her gently on her bed. He sat next to her and tenderly pulled her into his arms. Rowena clung onto his shirt, burying her face in his chest while she wept until sleep took her.

Sebastian held her in his arms, listening to the light snoring of the usually feisty woman.

"I apologise, my lady, for all the loss that has come to you because of me," he murmured softly, tenderly running a hand through her long hair. After a few moments of listening to her peaceful breathing, Sebastian murmured to himself, "my, my, my, what would it take to make you short in breath... I wonder..." he chuckled softly. He gently removed Rowena from his arms and got out of the bed. Then, he turned around and pulled the duvet up to her shoulders, turning around again to exit the room, however, before he could take one step, a hand weakly grabbed his wrist. Sebastian turned to look at his wife, who was wide awake and staring at him pleadingly. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, yet no sound came out; she could not find the words to ask him what she wished him to do.

Sebastian closed his eyes and smiled at her.

"Of course I shall stay with you if you wish it of me," the demon said courteously, smoothly sliding into bed and tenderly pulling her into his arms again. Rowena rested her head on his chest, her hands clutching his shoulders shakily. Sebastian held his wife firmly yet almost lovingly. After a few moments of silence, Rowena looked up at Sebastian, gazing at him in wonder, making him look down at her and tilt his head to the side slightly, "am I hurting you...?" He questioned.

Rowena shook her head and looked away from him, biting her lip nervously.

"Then what is it that bothers you? It is not like you to be hesitant," the demon murmured amusedly. Sebastian's eyes widened ever-so slightly when he saw her face come closer to his. Rowena's eyes conveyed the doubt she felt, yet, there was an emotion Sebastian was unable to pinpoint for a long while. It was only when their faces were inches apart he realised it was gratitude, and submission.


	15. His Mistress Forgets

Rowena woke up with aches and pains all over her body and little memory of what had happened last night. In fact, when she focused on the memories she did have, they slipped away from her mind like quicksand.

"Good morning, my lady," she heard his deep, smooth voice say from above her. Rowena realised what she had thought was a pillow, was in fact the demon's chest. Rowena looked up to stare into the demon's smiling face, "how are you feeling?" He asked softly.

Rowena sighed, feeling her body ache, causing her to wonder what had happened last night.

"My body aches," she muttered and, in a more grim voice said, "we did not...engage in intercourse, am I correct?"

The demon's smile didn't waver.

"It would have been the apt thing to do," he replied amusedly.

"No matter the case, did we truly...?" She questioned.

"Indeed."

Rowena's eyes widened at his words.

"We truly did sleep in the same bed and you truly did allow me to be so near you," the demon chuckled.

Rowena sighed in exasperation.

"Must you avoid the question?" She asked in frustration, but then her eyes widened, "I...allowed you..."

The demon nodded, watching her amusedly.

"You were in tears, in all honesty, I felt it cruel to leave you be," he replied, his smile wavering ever-so slightly.

"Do not be so absurd. I would not ever dream of showing so much sorrow in the presence of anyone," she replied monotonously.

The demon cocked his head to the side and stared at her.

"Do you not remember what had happened last night?" He questioned.

"If it wasn't of any significance, I do not see why I must," she replied dismissively.

The demon frowned.

"However..." he murmured, "it was indeed of significance..."

"I highly doubt it," she replied, "I am quite sure it was mainly your shenanigans getting on my nerves and me weeping bitterly that I was wed to one such a-"

"And so, you remember us being wed?" He interrupted.

Rowena glared.

"It is impolite to interrupt someone when they speak. Yes, of course I remember; it was merely yesterday, after all," she replied.

Sebastian's frown deepened.

"How strange..." he murmured, "tell me, can one take a potion to forget some sort of event, or such?"

Rowena cocked an eyebrow.

"There are potions of the description, however I have not met a witch that would prefer to forget an event, as they would forget more than just the event," she muttered grimly, "also, eventually they remember what they were supposed to forget and another event or time becomes forgotten to take its place and this cycle continues, unless you embark on a journey to Greece to seek out the Oracle of Delphi, she will release you of the potion, there truly is no other way. Also, once one remembers what they wished to forget, they find it very difficult to cope with the memory."

"I see," Sebastian murmured to himself, "excuse me," he said gently moving her off him and getting off the bed. He turned around and caressed her cheek and, before she could protest, Sebastian was walking out the door.

Rowena sighed, staring up at the top of the bed, however, it wasn't long until she heard her door open and close.

"My lady, you must get ready, we must have our painting done," Sebastian said softly.

Rowena sighed.

"Of course," she muttered, sitting up in bed.

It wasn't long until the newly-wed couple stood side-by-side in front of the painter who was to paint their portrait.

"Well, well, what a beautiful couple," the man giggled.

Rowena cocked an eyebrow at his comment, causing the man to giggle more.

"I've painted many noble couples' pictures, but I've never seen a couple as beautiful as you; you both look so unnaturally beautiful, it-"

"I do suggest you keep your comments to yourself," Rowena said curtly, not looking at the small and wiry man.

An awkward silence followed, until the man cleared his throat, the silence too much for him to bear.

"I'm sorry if you took offence in what I said," the man apologised, "I didn-"

"You are forgiven," Rowena interrupted.

"Thank you, madam," the man muttered awkwardly," now sir, please put your left arm around the madam's waist and hold her left hand in your right," the man instructed, pretending to be unfazed by the interruption, "no, no, you must stand closer so your bodies are nearly touching!"

Rowena glared at the artist for suggesting this, but before she could do anything, she felt Sebastian wrap an arm around her waist and pull her closer to him. Rowena sighed, glaring at whatever was in front of her, which happened to be Sebastian's chest. Sebastian held Rowena's left hand in his right hand. His gloves were on, causing her to think of the many times he had caressed her neck. Before Rowena could help it, the heat rushed to her face.

"Is something the matter, my lady? You are reddened," she heard Sebastian murmur quietly to her.

Rowena cursed in her mind, thinking of something to tell him.

"It is quite stifling in this room, that is all," her lips spoke, without any thought. She sighed in relief inwardly, seeing Sebastian close his eyes and smile kindly at her.

"Forgive me; I'm afraid you and I are unable to move from this position for the time being, so you must endure the heat for a while," he murmured softly.

"Of course," Rowena muttered, however, her mind had drifted somewhere else far before her words left her mouth. She wondered why she had reacted in such a way. She hardly ever blushed; she couldn't remember the last time she had reacted in this way. What was it that had caused such a reaction? In her mind, a picture of Sebastian's smirking face uncomfortable close to hers appeared, causing her cheeks to redden even more. What on earth was happening to her? Why was she reacting in such a way to the demon? She hadn't been affected in such a way the first time she had seen him; why now? Rowena mentally shook her mind clear of those thoughts, focusing on nothing and everything at the same time. She guessed she felt attracted to him because there was a need to, as they were both married, and not because there was a genuine attraction. Rowena mentally nodded at her thesis, deciding it to be the case and not pursuing the matter further.

However, no matter how much she wished to stop forgetting about the demon, her mind had plans of its own and all throughout the painting, she thought of all the incidents the two had shared. Naturally, this did not help the heat that was gradually becoming more and more prominent and noticeable.

Finally, after hours of standing, the painting was done and she was allowed to take her leave while Sebastian looked over it to see if it was "of the best quality". Rowena had muttered obscenities under her breath once she had heard him say this, to which he had just chuckled and caressed her neck.

Rowena lay in her bed, wondering where her life would lead her and what would become of her as a result.

"My lady, one must not overuse their mind, it may drive them mad," Sebastian murmured, his voice laced with amusement and his face inches away from hers. Rowena's eyes widened slightly, as she gazed into his dark crimson eyes that gazed directly down at her.

"Have you not at least stumbled across the term "personal space"?" she muttered, looking away, before the heat rose to her face. Sebastian closed his eyes and smiled genially down at her.

"Excuse my behaviour; it was the first way I thought of in order to attract your attention," he murmured, moving off her and landing to stand by her bedside, "however, it goes without saying that you are in fact my wife, therefore you and I are one," he added with a chuckle.

"I wish to not be remind of it," Rowena muttered, looking away from him, "the coven will be very much displeased with my actions," she added grimly.

"I doubt there is much of a coven left," Sebastian interjected, his tone still as up-beat as ever.

Rowena glared at whatever was in front of her, it happening to be the window. The curtains hadn't be pulled away yet. She knew he was right, nonetheless, his words were still quite painful to hear.

"Because of your kind," she growled icily.

To this, Sebastian had no reply. He gazed at Rowena, wondering what on earth he had gotten himself into and what he needed to do next.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

_"I will have her soon," the man chuckled, his voice ringing around the room he was in, "she will make a wonderful trophy and experiment. Her screams will echo this lonely room, bringing it to life with the agonised music that escape her wonderful lips. Don't you think, Julius?" the man turned around to look at a small, scrawny boy with lifeless onyx eyes and a filthy mop of light brown hair._

_"You are never wrong, master," he replied quietly. _

_The man's booming laughter echoed throughout the room._

_"Of course I'm never wrong. You know what happens if I'm wrong," he chuckled, patting the boy on the head, causing him to tense, however he did not move away from the man's hand, "I want to see Alexander today, I haven't played with him for a while," the man giggled gleefully._

_"Yes, master," the boy replied mechanically, before bowing then exiting the room. _

* * *

**So...as many of you may or may not have noticed, my updates aren't as frequent as before, that's because I've been seriously busy with school, what-with GCSEs coming up and what-not and other personal issues. I will always try to update asap, but, as many can tell, it's not happening, so I'm so sorry! BUT! Reviews motivate writers! *hint*hint*, okay, I wish you all a good day or night, depending on your time zone and DON'T FALL BEHIND IN SCHOOL BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN SO BUSY SPENDING YOUR TIME HERE INSTEAD OF STUDYING! This is BridePride signing out. ^.^**


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